For His Hand
by Elsian
Summary: Written for Norse Kink- Deception and intrigue swamp Asgard as Odin holds a tournament for Loki's hand. Thor enters to prove himself but finds his priorites anwhile others compete for Loki's hand, each with their own agenda. Thor/Loki
1. Chapter 1

**Part One**

Loki was livid. No one in the room was able to recognise his anger save for Frigga, but he was absolutely furious. She had seen the flash of anger in his eyes as he dipped his head and thanked his father for his concern.

"Thank you Father, but I really do not feel that all of ...this is necessary. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Frigga clenched her fists, ready to leap to the defence, but she wasn't exactly sure who she wanted to defend as of yet. She could understand why Loki would not want to marry, but her desires to protect her son echoed that of her husband soundly. Although, knowing her youngest it was most like the ostentatious manner in which Odin wanted to secure his son's future that was grating on Loki, rather than the intention itself.

Her husband was rather fond of overt displays of grandeur though, even if he would never admit it. Thor had definitely picked it up from his father. She was often thankful for Loki's understated nature. She would have certainly never been able to cope with two young Thor's. She looked to her husband to see how he would handle the situation.

"Your mother and I only want to secure a safe future for you. We want a protector for you, someone more skilled in the physical aspect of warfare. After Thor ascends to the throne, you will become a prime target for any who wish to displace him, since he loves you so."

Frigga resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Odin ensured she would have to side with him or seem like she did not care for her son's wellbeing. Her husband was too shrewd for his own good at times. She sighed inwardly, never one to discourage unity.

"Your father is right Loki. There will be many who wish to use you against your brother once he is King. It will be better to secure you a spouse now whilst Thor is still Prince, so he does not have to worry about you on top of his royal duties following his coronation."

She awaited Loki's response with baited breath, but her worry was unfounded. Loki was not brash like Thor, and if both his parents were against him, he would rebel in another way.

"Yes Mother, of course. I can understand the situation you both explain. I simply want to know if it has to be in such a manner. Cannot I find a spouse in my own time? Someone who I care for?"

Odin cut off anything Frigga may have had to say.

"Royal marriages are not about emotion Loki, you know this. We want to find someone strong, who can handle any physical force that comes at him. You are more than capable of handling any who seek to use you to usurp Thor to a political end; you need a spouse to protect you from those who would cause you bodily harm and use you in a hostage situation. That is why the tournament is necessary. It will be a perfect way to find a fiancée who will be strong enough to take on all that comes at them."

Frigga could hear her son sigh, as much as he tried not to allow his parent to hear.

"Of course Father." He inclined his head "When will the tournament begin?"

"Fourteen days from today. Thank you for being understanding of the situation Loki. You are dismissed."

Loki nodded to each of his parents and turned on his heel, the large hall door closing behind him with a quiet thud. Odin turned to his wife and smiled.

"That went much better than I was anticipating."

Not for the first time in her life as a mother, Frigga wondered how much Odin truly understood his youngest son. Loki was not called the God of Mischief on a whim, and she was certain he was not going to make this easy for anyway.

She cast her misgivings from her mind for now, as the weapons master entered the hall, ready to start the preparations for the tournament for Loki's hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

Loki was sitting upon his bed, alternating between wringing his hands and rubbing his hand across his forehand. Had he been Thor he would have destroyed a large amount of his property now, but then again were he Thor he would not be in this ridiculous situation in the first place. He knew his parent's intentions were good, but the way they tried to execute them was more than a little misguided, in his own personal opinion.

He let his magic dance amicably around his fingers whilst he tried to think of a suitable outlet for his stress. The tournament would be entertaining whilst it lasted; he had seen in his mother's eyes that she knew he was going to have as much fun with this as he possibly good in his own unique form of vengeance. Frigga by no means found him predictable, but she knew him better than most in Asgard. But once the tournament was over, someone would have won his hand and he would be tied to them in marriage for the rest of his life.

His future spouse was not likely to be someone he particularly got on with either. Odin had already made it clear they were intended to be more of a bodyguard than any form of spiritual companion. He could just imagine them, muscle-bound imbeciles, just like his brother, Sif and the idiots three but with even less wit and brainpower.

Magic flared over his entire hand as he thought of hundreds of sweaty, brainless oafs fighting over him like a trophy. Which was all he would be. He was no fool, and knew that his slender form, magical prowess and higher intelligence were not desirable aspects in Asgard, where strength and skill with a blade made you worthy of worship. He highly doubted any of the warriors who would sign up for the tournament would actually desire him, but rather the status he would bring them. Whoever won Loki's hand would have to defeat whatever challenges the wise and powerful All-father set them, along with every other competitor to enter. They would be heralded for years with tales of their triumph, an Asgardian celebrity.

He may not be as strong as his brother, but he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself! Loki's anger grew and his magical tendrils engulfed his arm.

"I am not a woman, nor will I be a 'wife'." He hissed to the empty room, standing to face himself in his mirror. "I will not be making this easy for anyone!" His green eyes flashed as his face contorted in a sneer at himself. He was so lost in his rage that he almost jumped when Thor burst into his room, brash and obtrusive as always.

Loki's magic vanished before Thor could see, and he leant on his dresser as he watch Thor fling himself unceremoniously on Loki's tidy bed, messing up the sheets and pillows with abandon. He had a ridiculously large grin on his face.

"I hear you are to be married Brother!" his mirth was obvious. Loki glared.

"One more word, my dear brother, and I shall curse you to be followed by kittens wherever you go. It will not be a good look for the 'Mighty Thor' when the warriors of the realm arrive."

Loki sat next to his brother, straightening out a crease in the sheets.

"Realms." Thor said, sitting up.

"Excuse me?"

"I said realms. The news has travelled awfully fast for one afternoon. I heard a Jotun tried to apply!"

Thor could not quite hide the mirth in his voice, although to his credit he did try. Loki flopped backwards onto his bed. The day was just getting worse. He could not believe that people were

Trying to enrol already.

"Please brother, I do not wish to discuss this right now."

Thor was not listening.

"Sif and the warriors three have even been debating joining the fight. Sif thinks it would prove her a greater warrior in the eyes of those around her, although she has already done so many times over. Of course it will be a way for anyone to prove themselves. Imagine, fighting the great warriors from the far reaches of the universe!" Thor voice rose with his excitement. Of course, it was all just another way to show how hard he could hit things for him.

"Forgive me if I do not share your enthusiasm brother, but I am merely a prize in this 'grand affair'."

"I could enter."

Loki bolted up. "_what?"_

"Well of course, I'd make sure to drop out once it got to the final rounds. You would make a strange Queen, Loki, if may be so bold. But it would allow me to weed out all the extras, the useless challengers who cannot protect themselves, never mind you." Thor grinned.

"Thor, you are an awful liar, stop trying to attempt it. It is obvious you simply want to prove yourself alongside your peculiar friends, since everything you do is a compe..." Loki paused and smiled.

"Actually brother, I concur. You should enter. It would be so good for Asgard to see you prove your worth once more, as their future king. They need all the examples of strength they can get, since you will one day be protector of them all. Sif and the Warriors three also, since they are certainly going to play a vital role once you ascend the throne. I always though Hogun would be a fine general."

Loki laughed internally as his brother leapt from the bed. Twenty four years of living together and Thor still couldn't read his younger sibling at all.

"You are right Loki! I will go enter immediately, and tell Sif and the Warriors that they must do so also. To demonstrate my ability to Asgard as future protector and king, it is practically my duty. I thank you brother."

Thor swept from the room, too invigorated for goodbyes and Loki smiled to himself, a face-splitting grin, his eyes glowing with mischief as his mind began to work nine to the dozen.

"Well" He said to the empty room. "If I am truly to be condemned to this fate, there is no reason I cannot enjoy myself until the last possible moment."


	3. Chapter 3

**Part three**

Sif was far more intelligent than Loki had taken her for. Admittedly, that did leave much room for improvement though.

"I know what you are doing trickster." She hissed when she had managed to find him alone a few days later. "Thor told use you encourage him to enter. You may be angry over this situation but don't use it to embarrass your brother in front of the realm. He does not deserve that, he did not bring this fate down on you."

Loki raised an eyebrow at the shield maiden, not overly intimidated by her.

"If you are so certain that I am going to play tricks on my brother and the rest of these competitors, why did you also enter the tournament Lady Sif? Do not think because you have a semblance of my plans that you will be exempt from them."

Loki smirked.

"Unless of course, you truly desire my hand in marriage. I would never have expected it of you, Lady. I feel flattered."

He almost missed the transition of peach to red, Sif's anger manifested itself so quickly. She shoved him back against the wall roughly, and whilst he showed no emotion outwardly, he was pretty certain that he was going to be bruised.

"Do not delude yourself trickster. My companions and I are onto your games, even if Thor is not. We only enter this tournament to protect him from you and your wiles. It is a poor sport that we have to enter a tournament that is for your hand in marriage to protect Thor from _you_. "

Loki pushed her hand from him.

"Then why not warn him? Tell him yourself and save all of you from this embarrassing debacle. I will not ease in my testing of the candidates for my future partner if my brother is not within the ranks. I want to make sure my spouse is worthy of me after all. I think you protest too much Lady Sif. You have never hidden your desires to be equal to the warriors of the realm and always seek to prove yourself alongside them. You have as much to benefit from entering this display of physical prowess as anyone else. Do not try to disguise your selfish desires with honourable intentions. I can see right through them."

Sif remained silent for some time, gauging Loki with her eyes.

"I am no liar. I know there is much for me to gain if I am to rank in this competition and I will not hide that. But I do care for your brother and my entry stems just as much from my desire to aide him as it does my own ambitions. We cannot warn him of your games. He knows you are a trickster and a liar, but his affection for you blinds him of your nature. He honestly believes that you would not embarrass him in this, which will be his downfall. You are angry over your own fate, why must you take it out on your brother?"

Loki scoffed.

"You know nothing, _my lady._ You have only presumed my intentions at best and I have not explicitly said I will use my brother in my mischief. I however refuse to change any of my plans, I am not fond of my fate and I wish to derive what little pleasure from it I can. Would it please you if I were to tell you I will not harm my brother in anyway?"

"No Loki, it would not. You may be Thor's kin, but I would not trust you as far as I can throw you. You can do far more damage to Thor's reputation in this battle than you can to him physically. We are not children anymore; this is more serious than frog in beds and dye in his water. What affects Thor's reign as king will affect all of us and as his brother you would do well to remember that. You will gain nothing from this, except a fine possibility of angering your future spouse."

"We shall agree to disagree then Lady Sif. And we have nothing more to discuss. Good luck in the tournament." Loki nodded his head to the female warrior, who glared once more before turning on her heel and stalking back to her friends.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part Four**

Frigga watched once more as Odin dictated their children's lives. His intentions were good as always, but this was far more likely to descend into argument. Thor and Odin were much less hesitant about raising their voices at each other when they came to blows, which happened more frequently than Frigga would like.

"What on Asgard were you thinking Thor? This tournament is to find a suitor for your brother, not your personal amusement?"

"I seek only to help my brother. I would not have someone unworthy lay claim to Loki's hand." Thor argued back.

"That is what the tournament is for. What you seek is perfectly clear to me Thor. There will be more than enough opportunities for you to show the realm your prowess, both on the battlefield and off of it." Odin growled.

"I simply want to make sure that we are thorough in this quest for Loki's partner. Surely the only way I can do this is to enter this tournament myself. After all, Sif and the Warriors three have also joined for the fight for Loki's hand and you do not forbid them from entering."

"They are not related to Loki! You may not share the same blood, but he is still your kin!"

Frigga sighed. Thor did not share his brothers' silver-tongue and his intentions were poorly veiled.

"My son." She said gently, before Odin could fight back once more. "We know your intent is pure, but what of your skill? We all know that you are a talented warrior. What if you were to win this tournament? You would be bound to Loki for your ruling life; he would be your consort. Can you honestly say you want to be tied to your brother in this way?"

"Of course not Mother" Thor scoffed, folding his arms much like a petulant child. "Were my skill enough to get me to the final rounds of this competition, I would obviously hold back, or drop out if needs be. By that stage I should imagine any of the competitors would make a fine spouse anyway, and my services would no longer be required."

Frigga closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. If only Thor were not so stubborn! Thor and Odin continued to argue in raised voices and Frigga absently looked around the room, having long grown tired of their ability to argue each other to hoarse voices. It was then she noticed her youngest lurking in the shadows of the columns of the great all. She narrowed her eyebrows at him, but Loki simply smiled.

He was far too amused by the trouble he was causing. She did not begrudge him his fun; for she understood what an undesirable position it was for him to be in. (Odin had fought in a similar tournament for her hand himself, although they had been having _liaisons_ unknown to her parents for sometime prior) She worried that he might get himself in too deep with his trickery. Not all the warriors who entered the tournament may have the tolerance of the Asgardians for his mischief and Loki had a bad habit of talking himself into situations he was unable to talk his way out of again. She rubbed a hand over her eyes and when she looked up again Loki had gone.

"Father, surely you can see my point! Do you really Loki married to some treacherous devil who may pay his way through the tournament to marry into our family, or a brute who doesn't know when it is time to keep his fists to himself? I will not be susceptible to threats or bribes. Neither will Sif, Hogun, Volstagg or Fandral. We only do this for Loki's sake, he is my young brother and always will be. I only seek to keep him from harm."

Frigga was surprised. Odin actually could not think of a retort to Thor's argument. Thor also seemed surprised by his own intelligence, for he first looked shocked, then increasingly more smug as the All-Father grasped for an argument. She guessed Thor's victory could have happened in a worse argument and so did not aide her husband. It was a very rare occasion on which Thor outwitted Odin, to her recollection it had only happened twice before and they were quite a few years prior. She was curious to see if Thor could keep the upper hand.

She would also never admit it to Odin, but she was quite keen for Thor to remain in the competition. She could see the logic behind the argument, even if it was not Thor's true reason for entering and she did worry about Loki more, simply as the younger. She knew both her sons were grown and capable of taking care of themselves, but it was her duty as a mother to worry needlessly.

Eventually Odin replied, his tone weary.

"You may remain in the tournament Thor. But on the condition you will drop out before the final three rounds. If you refuse I will have you restrained until the remainder of the tournament is over. Is that clear?"

Thor smiled.

"That is fine father. As I said, I am sure that any warriors that make it to that point will be more than adequate for the protection of my brother." With that, Thor left the room, glowing with pride and chest thrust forwards as was his way following any kind of victory.

Odin carried on with his business, but Frigga was distracted for the remainder of the day. She couldn't help but feel she should have protested this whole tournament idea more strongly from the beginning. Loki's tricks were bound to anger some of the competitors. The Jotun were not known for their patience and he did not have a good record with the dwarves of Nidavellir as it was. She knew that warriors from both worlds had entered the tournament too. It was getting wildly out of hand and more than ever she wished Odin had restricted the entrants to the Asgardians and the Vanir alone. It was clear that Loki's betrothed was likely to be male and as husband to the brother of the king, they would have significant political influence to gain from claiming Loki as their own. Odin claimed to have thought it all through, but Frigga felt as his wife she had right to doubt his claims.

There was also the Ljósálfar Magni weighing heavily on her mind. The light elf had expressed an interest in Loki once before, at a gathering of the nine realms for talks of peace and unity. He had expressed his interest most forcefully; although Loki had made it abundantly clear he was not interested in the elf in anyway. It had reached the King and Queen that Magni had signed up for the tournament the day prior. Odin did not see it as cause for worry, but Frigga did not trust him. He may have been fairer than the sun to look at, but his heart was black as night. She was not sure whether his entry stemmed from desires for revenge, her son or power or a combination of the three, but she was certain it would contribute to the many sleepless nights she was anticipation during the course of the tournament.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part five **

The whole of Asgard was practically vibrating with anticipation of the coming tournament and the city had been decorated with grand designs of red and gold. Loki found it all most obnoxious.

"This tournament is for my hand. You would think that father would at least put up some colours that I like." He complained without any real malice to Thor, with whom he was sat in the gardens of the palace.

"You should be more excited brother! The city is filled with warriors from every corner of Yggdrasil to fight for your hand! Everyone here wants you, surely that is an honour?" Thor was lying on his back in the grass, chewing a stem and looking up to the sky.

"You are a fool brother if you think that any of these warriors are here for me. They want the esteem that ranking in this tournament shall bring, or the influence a marriage to me will gain them with Asgard." Loki retorted, leaning back against the tree he was sat under.

"You are not so undesirable brother; you should not be so hard on yourself." Loki gave a short laugh, reminiscent of a bark to Thor's statement.

"Besides, I hear that Magni has entered. I'm certain he has his eyes on more than a royal marriage." Thor said the sentence lightly, but there was an undertone of threat to his words. Loki was more interested in the subject matter however.

"Magni? What in the name of Hel is father thinking? He should be banned from Asgard, never mind the tournament!" Loki had even raised his voice. Thor leant up on his elbows.

"I don't think I have heard you so enraged in quite some time brother. It is refreshing."

Loki scowled and Thor lay back down.

"You need not worry brother. I and the warriors will make certain that snake does not make it past the first round."

Loki feigned a swoon, raising his arms dramatically and laying over his brothers legs.

"Oh my hero Thor!"

Thor laughed and kicked out at his brother, who moved too swiftly for Thor to catch with his lazy movements.

"You are growing slack brother. Are you sure that you will even make it past the first round?" Loki teased, standing over Thor, who just smiled and rose to his feet. He clapped a hand on Loki's shoulder, seeing past his uncharacteristically playful jests.

"I swear to you brother, Magni shall not place in this tournament, never mind win."

"I care not Thor. I handled him before without you, I can do so again. I may not be physically impressive but I can take of myself, despite what our parents appear to think."

Loki's resentment once again coloured his voice, as it had done often during the time spent with his brother over the last fortnight. Thor usually enjoyed the time he could spend with Loki as companions, when he was done fighting and Loki was done studying his books and causing mischief, but Loki's true feelings on the entire tournament had a tendency to present themselves more openly around his brother and it hurt Thor to see how much being a prize in a competition was truly paining his brother. Especially since he was certain it would manifest into trickery for Loki to play on the competitors. He was not as blind as Sif and the Warriors seemed to think when it came to Loki's tricks. Quite often he thought he and Frigga were the only people who realised what outlet Loki's pranks were for the younger man.

There was little he could say that would comfort Loki though. He could not imagine the situation himself, and sometimes he wondered if he was making things worse by entering the tournament himself. It passed quickly though as he thought of how he would be ensuring an adequate husband for his dear brother.

And his victories of course. Since proving himself to Asgard was the main intention. If he managed to prove himself to Loki also it would simply be a fabulous bonus. Prove himself as a wonderful sibling that was. Obviously

"Come brother. The heat has made me parched and I wish to quench my thirst." Thor boomed, forgetting his proximity to his brother. Loki winced.

"I am right next to you Thor. There is no need to shout."

"Once we have drunk you should come and watch me train once more. I will be the finest warrior in the tournament." Thor boasted as they entered the palace once more.

"Oh yes how thrilling. I will not be seeing enough fighting in the coming weeks after all. Need I remind you that the brain is also a muscle Thor?"

They continued their banter as they left the gardens, missing the figure of the one who had been observing them the entire time they had been together outside


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

There was one day left until the tournament officially begun, and Thor was barely leaving the training room, along with Sif, Hogun, Volstagg and Fandral. In a rare change of scenery, Loki was also in the room, sat at the side of the room with a number of his books on magicks and sorcery to study whilst Thor trained to the point of collapse. Sif and the Warriors three were also hard at work.

In a sense.

"If you keep eating in that manner Volstagg, you won't make it through the feast tonight without bursting at the seams, never mind placing in the tournament!" Sif jested, the training sessions having her in a good mood.

"Nonsense Lady Sif!." The rotund man boomed. "I am merely training for tonight. This is my pre-feast warm up meal!" With a laugh he took another enormous leg of some animal or another and tore into it.

Loki grimaced and subtly shifted away from the ever-hungry man.

"Brother! Why not rest your eyes from all those words and come train with us? You have barely raised your head the entire time you have sat there!" Thor strode over to his brother, who glanced up. It was true, he hadn't raised his head from his books. They were very interesting, this one in particular and it had absolutely nothing to do with Thor ridding himself of his tunic the moment he entered the training room. Absolutely not.

"I am fine where I am Thor. Where would the point be in it anyway? I can hardly enter a competition for my own hand in marriage?"

He had wondered on it briefly, but his magic was strong and even he would have a hard time talking his way out of it were he to win the tournament. Besides, he could hardly marry himself...

Loki concentrated on what Thor was saying before he could travel any further along that train of thought. His vanity did not quite stretch that far yet.

Thor was just informing Loki on the finer points of 'developing on his meagre frame' when an emissary from their father arrived and Loki was requested to meet his father in the healers wing. Loki was confused, but stood to obey. His plans for trickery were pretty much together anyway and he need not study further for pranks. As he left one of his books fell, he reached to take it but Fandral was there before he could retrieve it. He smiled and took the book from the blonde man.

"Thank you Fandral." With that Loki followed his father's messenger from the room. Sif frowned.

"I know that look. You get that look when you know something that you wish you did not know." Hogun said to her, seemingly at her side from nowhere. Accustomed to his nature, Sif did not even flinch.

"It is a shame that I have to have a look specifically for that knowledge."

Hogun merely shrugged and returned to his training. Sif did not think anyone else had noticed what she thought she saw, but she could have sworn Thor had his eyes on Fandral as they returned to training. When she looked again he was laughing and fighting just as before though, so maybe she had simply imagined it.

Thor did not see his brother again until much later; with only an hour to go before the feast to officially welcome all the warriors of the realms to Asgard and the tournament. It took him some time to find him, but he eventually came across him in the gardens, already dressed in his green and silver finery. Thor was similarly attired, but in his customary colours of gold and red. Loki gave a dim smile as his brother approached him at his seat.

"I have not seen you since this morning brother. What was it that father wanted that kept you from returning to us all day?" Thor sat next to Loki, looking to the sky as he was prone to do in the gardens. Loki wondered what was so fascinating about the sky in that particular place that had Thor so enthralled every time they were together.

"Mother and father wanted the healers to ensure that I was _pure_ for my future companion." Loki scoffed.

Thor laughed gently. "I am sure it is the only way in which you could be described as 'pure' my brother." He looked at Loki expectantly. Loki raised an eyebrow, but then caught on quickly.

"Oh as if I would tell you Thor!" he admonished.

"Yes then." Thor was not clever in many things, but he was not stupid either. A light pink coloured Loki's cheeks. He was far too dignified to allow himself to actually blush. Thor debated teasing him, but decided it could wait for another time. He had already jested with Loki incessantly over the pending marriage and his role as 'damsel'. It was slightly cruel, but it wasn't often he had something to hold over Loki.

"yes well, I am sorry I am not so preoccupied with ale and rutting as yourself." Trust Loki to turn his embarrassment into Thor's insult. Thor simply shook his head, not looking for conflict.

"I do have to wonder what exactly mother and father would do were you not pure though. You can hardly get it back."

Loki thought on it himself.

"I do not know either. It was a most strange thing to want to check, now I think on it more."

"Ah well. Come brother, we must attend the feast! The finest wines, the best food and all of the warriors of the nine realms. It will be a wondrous night!" Thor stood, excited once more and offered a hand to his brother.

"If you say so Thor." Loki sighed, pretended to be more put out that he was. In honestly he was in a fine mood. It all started tonight, and he couldn't wait to see the results of his mischief the next morning. He was starting small, but it didn't mean he couldn't take his pleasure from the little things.

Loki and Thor made their way to the feasting hall and if they did not let their hands part until outside of the main door, neither of them noticed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

Loki had to resist the urge to roll his eyes; because he was certain once he started they would not stop spinning until all the warriors had long departed for bed. As he'd predicted they were all puffing their chests and boasting of great feats to anyone who would listen. It was tiresome and blatantly exaggerated for the most part by all. At least when he had to listen to Thor's tales he knew that his brother's stories would be true to the last detail. Thor was so honourable it could almost be considering a fault.

What Loki had not anticipated was the attention that would be bestowed on him. Thor was exuding an incredible amount of correct insight in the past two weeks, which was disturbing in itself, but he'd been spot on about the amount of warriors who truly sought Loki out, and not the esteem the marriage would bring. He'd had flirtatious encounters of every kind, from subtle compliments to cheesy pick up lines to outright invitations back to bedrooms, and they were only an hour and half into the feast itself.

Thankfully Magni had kept his distance thus far. He was never out of Loki's eyesight though and it was unnerving him. He'd never let it become apparent though, and every time Magni caught his view, he held it in defiance. He loathed the Light elf, but he refused to be intimidated by him. He was not the fragile maiden all of these 'suitors' perceived him to be.

Speaking of maidens, Loki had been genuinely astonished by the amount of female warriors who were also present to try and lay claim to him. Strangely, the females held less interest in him than the males. Like Sif, the vast majority were here to prove themselves as equals to their male comrades rather than actually gain any prize. They had been even more vocal than the men, having much more to lose should they suffer defeat. Loki pitied them in a way. They worked much harder than their male comrades to gain their positions, but one mistake and they would fall harder than any around them.

He thought it would inspire unity between them, but apparently not. One stocky woman in particular, who Loki could have easily mistaken for a troll, was being very vocal about the weedy frame of the Lady Sif and how she should drop out now and save herself from humiliation. The woman's companions looked uneasy at their mistresses' claims, but lacked the conviction to stand up to her.

Sif herself could hear every word, and from frequent observation of Thor and his companions, Loki could tell that her anger was rising with every word. She was too loyal to the All-father and Asgard to create a scene though. Loki was also certain that Sif would show the brute how wrong she was in the tournament. Her vengeance would come in time. Sif was a talented warrior. Not that Loki would ever actually tell her, but he didn't find her totally intolerable.

"You look particularly radiant tonight, my Prince Loki."

Loki stiffened. He had been too lost within his own thoughts and Magni was somehow right by his side.

"Lord Magni. I have not seen you in Asgard for some time. I did not think you would actually want to present here again." He replied curtly.

Magni merely smiled.

"Your father has certainly put on a magnificent party tonight my Prince. All in your honour too. You must be so looking forward to meeting your future husband." Magni gestured out to the hall as he spoke, his voice melodious as was the nature of the Light Elves.

"Spouse, my Lord. There are as many females here to fight for my hand as there are males." Loki finally turned to face the other man."I have to admit, I was surprised my father let you past the gates of Asgard to even see the celebration, never mind allowing you enter the tournament."

Even as Loki said this, he saw Thor finally notice what was occurring. He gave him a meaningful glance and was relieved as his brother abandoned the women who had flocked round him and headed over to his brother.

"Come now my Prince. Can't we put the past behind us? I was young and foolish. I am much wiser now. I mean you no harm by being here." Magni's smiled was charming, but Loki did not forgive easily.

"I am not your prince Magni" He hissed "Nor anyone else's. I'm afraid I cannot take your claims of change seriously since you are here to fight for my hand in this tournament. That strongly implies to me that your desires remain the same, it is simply the means by which you acquire them that has changed." He turned to Thor, who had finally gotten through the throngs of people.

"Ah my brother, can I help you?"

Thor flicked his eyes at Magni before smiling at his younger brother.

"Yes Loki. There is a couple of warriors from Vanaheim who are eager to speak with you. They are most entertaining, and skilled with magic of all kinds. I think you will get along most excellently!" he took Loki's arm and gently pulled him away, looking to Magni.

"I am sorry to cut your conversation short, but my brother is the main event after all and must spend his time with his guests equally. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night." He nodded briefly before almost lifting Loki off of his feet in his eagerness to remove his brother from the Light Elf's presence.

"Thank you brother. That was most unpleasant." Loki said once Thor had taken him to quieter area of the hall, to where Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral and Sif had also gathered. Sif was most irate.

"That woman is unbearable! I have tried my utmost to be polite to her and all she does is insult me! It is most unbecoming. As women warriors we should stand together, not bitch each other out the instant backs are turned!" She could be heard to be said as they approached. Thor laughed.

"Ignore the woman Sif. You are twice the warrior she is, and you still retain a feminine form. It is most sad that she had to trade her body for that of an ogre to gain her strength."

Thor and his friends laughed and jested, both making fun of and admiring the warriors within the hall. Loki allowed his mind to wander as they shielded him from sight with their larger forms to offer him a brief respite from the affections of the room. He was also pretty certain that Thor wanted to keep him close after the encounter with Magni.

As he gazed absently, he noticed Odin re-entering the room, along with their mother and two Jotun warriors. That explained why he'd had far more attention the last half-hour, if the All-father and his queen had made themselves unavailable. The group parted ways, but one of the Jotun quickly sought Loki out using his advantaged height and watched him for some time, like he was assessing him, before frowning and leaving the hall with his Jotun brethren.

"Those Jotun are an unsociable lot." Fandral commented, suddenly at Loki's side. "Makes you wonder why they bothered entering at all. This is as much about unity as it is the fight for Prince Loki."

Thor opened his mouth to reply, but the hall was silenced by the echo of Odin's staff around the hall. All eyes turned to the All-Father, who began his speech to the hall.

"Welcome all to the realm of Asgard. It is an honour to have the most excellent warriors of the nine realms all come together in unity for the chance to fight for my son's hand. I will keep my words brief; as I am sure you all want to continue with the festivities. I just wished to thank you all once more and wish you all luck in the coming tournament. There can only be one winner for my Son's honour, but I am certain that everyone in this room is worthy of it."

Loki placed his hand over his eyes. He had not doubted that his 'purity' would be used as a 'selling point' so to speak, but he had thought his father more capable of subtlety. Perhaps his eagerness to find Loki a partner was addling his brains. He could feel the eyes of the room on him more intently.

"Now, to the festivities!" Odin spread his arms wide and Frigga smiled at the room. " Let us all eat, drink and be merry in celebration of this wondrous occasion."

"Here here!" Volstagg raised yet another enormous leg of something into the air and ripple of laughter echoed the hall before everyone returned to their previous activities. The rotund man winked at Loki and the prince was privately relieved for the man's brief, but brilliant wit, taking the gaze of the room away from him.

He spent the rest of the night talking amicably with Thor and his friends whilst others drifted in and out of the conversation and thankfully Magni was nowhere to be seen for the remainder of the feast.

All went peacefully and Loki went to his bed that night more content that he had thought to be. There was a brief disturbance at around 4 am when the large warrior lady, who's name had been revealed to be Brynja, caused an almighty ruckus when she ran screaming from her room, claiming her water jar to be full to the brim with spiders. Everyone simply shook their heads and returned to their chambers.

Sif caught Loki's eye and he expected the woman to admonish his actions once more, but she simply smirked and returned to her room along with everyone else. Apparently she was not without her vices either.

Loki also returned to his room for more sleep. The first round of the tournament was to be the day after next, and he had much work to do.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8**

So far Loki had been very disappointed. The first round of the tournament was all about attack and defence, to get rid of those who simply did not have the physical strength or magical power to survive anything harder.

The contesters fought five waves of monsters of increasing difficulty in teams of fifteen. Those who had not fallen or backed out at the end of the waves were through to the second round. Thor, Sif and the Warriors three were already done and through to the second round. Loki had never really doubted them. They took on challenges like this out of boredom half the time. They hadn't really been affected by Loki's pranks either, but he had expected that also. He'd done this particular prank to them a number of times and they were accustomed to it. Sif had probably figured out he would do it before he had known, if he was entirely honest with himself.

More experienced warriors had not really been affected either, and those his prank had afflicted truly badly probably had no place in the tournament anyway.

He had spent the entire day before sneaking around and tampering with the weapons of the warriors. Some he had shortened their swords by a few inches, shortened the tang or dulled the blade a mite. Others he had removed a few feathers from the arrows, or magically ensured that two would not leave the quiver no matter how hard they may be pulled. Some bows strings would also arbitrarily snap. Finally, those with maces or hammers might swing them back only to find their heads to slide from the handles, leaving them fighting with a bit of wood or pipe. He had only done this to every third or fourth warrior. He knew his parents were more than likely expecting him to cause mischief and he didn't want them onto him this early in the game.

He had not garnered as much joy from his trickery as he had hope though. It was amusing for an hour or so watching some poor soul struggle with an arrow that refused to move, or stare perplexed at his broken weapon but he tired of it quickly. Once Magni had gotten through using his magic without a single error, Loki had quite tired of the tournament, and wished to return to his rooms, perhaps even simply spend some time with Thor in the gardens. The only true mirth he gained from the event was entirely accidently, when the Lady Brynja stepped out to face the hoard, only to run screaming from the battle when their foes were revealed to be gigantic spiders. He smirked to see Sif, who was in the same group, laugh heartily before launching herself into the fray without hesitation.

Finally, the ordeal was over and there was to be a three day reprieve before the next tournament took place. Around three-quarters of the original entrants still remained, since it had not been an overly arduous task for the great warriors of the realms, even with Loki's 'help'. He excused himself from the royal box and had to prevent himself from running to the gardens, eager as he was to get to them before the sun set upon Asgard.

Thor was sat in the gardens when he arrived, having been able to leave as soon as he had fought and Loki thought he'd never been so happy to see the hammer-happy idiot.

"My brother!" Thor greeted, with little respect for the solitude of the garden. "What did you think of my performance today? I thought yours was most admirable. A little unoriginal I must say though Loki."

Loki sat next to Thor, a small smile on his face.

"Nonsense Thor. I am never unoriginal. I have never performed that prank on such a scale before. It came off fabulously." He retorted.

"Really? For whenever I looked up to the royal box, you looked bored out of your considerable mind." He looked up to the sky once more, a smiled on his face.

"I trust the Lady Sif is overjoyed at the Lady Brynja's humiliating defeat?" Loki was simply curious of course, and not trying to change the subject in any way.

"Sif is not such a cruel person as you Loki. She would never rejoice in another's embarrassment." Thor grinned. "That being said, she has been in a unusually good mood since her round in the tournament, but I am certain it is from qualifying for the second round alone."

The sun was starting to set and Loki found himself unusually tired. It had been a long day. He rose to his feet.

"I am going to ready myself for bed brother, I have found this day entirely too lengthy and dull. Are you going to come inside?"

Thor shook his head, still looking upwards.

"I will make for bed shortly, I wish to enjoy the garden a little longer."

Loki glanced up.

"The garden Thor? Every time we sit here you are distracted by the sky, you only break from it to make eye contact with myself. I wasn't entirely sure you knew there was a garden here." He jested, kneeling by his brother.

"I simply like it here. Go and sleep Loki, the coming weeks shall be even more exhausting for you and you should enjoy your rest whilst you can."

Before Loki could rise once more Thor's hand was on the back of his neck and he had pressed his lips to the younger mans forehead, an affectionate gesture that they had not indulged in for a few years now.

"Goodnight Loki."

Loki stood and left with a quiet "Goodnight Thor". He was not blushing of course, Loki did not blush. It was simply the closeness of the night air.

Thor remained in the garden until the sun had completely set. He'd never admit it to anyone, not even himself, but the reason he always looked up in the gardens was because he could see Loki's room perfectly from this one place. He couldn't explain why, but he always liked to see the lights going out in Loki's room before he bedded down himself. Finally he rose and set off for his own bed.

A shadow swept into the gardens not long after, and stood in Thor's place, head tilted up.

"Well, this is certainly a perfect spot indeed."


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 9**

Loki was lost for ideas. He had not expected this. He knew Odin wasn't one to be taken lightly, but even Loki was impressed by the second challenge, due to take place the next morning. He'd even decided not to prank it. Not that there was much he could do anyway.

"A sphinx! Where in the nine realms did Father find a sphinx?"

Thor was less than pleased with the announcement for the second round, and was presently stomping around Loki's room like an angry dragon. Loki lounged on his bed, mildly concerned for the various trinkets, both magical and just pretty, he had on his shelves.

"Come now Thor, it is not that bad. As much as it pains me to admit it, you are not completely without intelligence. I am sure you can answer one measly riddle." He took up one of his crystal balls and rolled it listlessly from hand to hand. "Besides, even if you fail the riddle, you can still take on the sphinx to move on to the third round."

"It is suicide to take on a sphinx in battle; you know that from your studies Loki." Thor flopped onto the bed and Loki had to grip the quilt to prevent himself from flying upwards.

"Thor! Be careful!" He punched his brother's arm lightly; pretty certain Thor couldn't even feel it. He moved so he was lying on his back next to the larger man.

"Why is it such a problem Thor? You will have to drop out eventually anyway, what difference does it make if it is sooner rather than later?" he still passed the glass ball from hand to hand, finding it strangely relaxing. Thor shot up in outrage, knocking Loki and the ball rolled off of the bed and onto the floor.

"It would be humiliating! Knocked out in the second round, before any of the real challenges have even begun! It's supposed to be a show of strength and prowess as a warrior, not a game of wits!"

Loki simply frowned after the ball. "I like that, you're lucky it didn't break." He made to move from the bed, but Thor caught his wrist, staring at him intently. It was slightly unnerving and Loki tried to pull away from his brother.

"I cannot leave this tournament whilst Magni remains Loki. He is intelligent and cunning; he will pass the second round without any cause for concern. I do not trust him to play fairly as the tasks become harder and I cannot bear the thought of him winning your hand"

Loki opened his mouth to protest, but Thor took both his hands in his own and cut him off.

"I know you fought him before, but it was many years ago. He is...different now. I do not know how to explain it, but the way he fought in the first round was practically effortless. He barely broke a sweat. It was an easy round, but not that easy. His intentions for being here are not pure and I do not want to leave anything to chance if I can take measures to prevent misdoing."

Emotions that Loki couldn't quite put a name to swelled inside him at the sincerity and protection in Thor's words. He was excited, nervous, pleased and confused all at the same time and so he reacted as anyone would have expected him too.

He ran away.

Pulling away from Thor's hand, he quickly crossed the room and picked up his ball, rolling it again between his hands. The effect was calming and his internal situation began to calm. Not turning to face Thor, he began to speak to break the uncomfortable silence that felt like it was weighing the room down.

"I appreciate your consideration Thor, truly I do, but I think you are overreacting about...Who is that?"

It had only been brief, but he could have sworn there was a light out in the gardens. It was well past midnight now, so no-one should have been out there. He heard the bed creak as Thor moved over to him and stood aside to allow Thor to the window, their shoulder brushing slightly.

"I see nothing Loki." Thor squinted out into the darkness, his figure filling the small window.

"Hmm. Perhaps it was just...Thor!" There was a barely audible twang, and Loki was certain Thor had not heard it. He however had, and recognised it immediately. He pulled his brother to the floor, an arrow flying through the window right where Thor's head had been seconds previously. It hit the wall opposite, sticking fast.

They had landed awkwardly, Thor's body almost crushing Loki's. He would have been embarrassed had he not been unable to breathe. He pounded his fists at Thor's frame, who moved as quickly as he could without standing in front of the window once more. Loki took a large breath as he was freed.

"Guards!" he called, and stood warily. "Tell me Thor, have you considered a change of diet recently? You may benefit from it." Thor scowled, but two guards burst into the room before he could retaliate to the jibe.

"Assassin, in the garden. Go quickly before he escapes!" He instructed. The guards bowed swiftly and ran from the room. The two brothers vacated the room immediately after.

"We must inform father." Thor stated, storming off towards their parents chambers before Loki had even finished the nod of his head, keeping his brother as close as he could without carrying him, which Loki did not appreciate.

The rest of the night was a blur, and they did not manage to bed down until gone three am, putting Thor in even more of a foul mood, since he would not be rested for the challenge the next day either.

The assassin was apprehended quickly, a young Svartálfar female who admitted that she was the perpetrator the instant she was brought before the All-Father, claiming revenge on Loki for a prank pulled on the Dark Elves a long time ago, when he was barely out of his teenage years. Loki did not remember ever tricking the Svartálfar in a way to cause such offence, but he did many things in his youth and supposed she could be telling the truth. She was disqualified and imprisoned and Odin sent his sons off to bed. Loki still felt uneasy, as if something wasn't quite right. Thor felt the same.

"You must stay in my room tonight Loki." He announced as they walked back towards their chambers.

Loki frowned and shook his head.

"No Thor, the assassin has been taken care of. My room is perfectly safe once more. Besides, it was I who noticed her and saved YOUR life, was it not?"

Thor smiled.

"That is true brother, but it would put my mind at rest, for the night and for the tournament tomorrow, if you were to be at my side." He placed a hand on Loki's shoulder.

"Very well, but you are sleeping on the floor."

Thor simply laughed and Loki smiled back at him.

Yet as he lay in Thor's (ridiculously embellished, ostentatious) bed, he couldn't help but to feel ill at ease. The woman's story had enough validity to it, since he had angered more than a few people in his time, but it didn't match up. He had been stood in front of the window for more than long enough. The shot had only been fired once Thor came into view. He turned onto his side and observed the snoring lump that was Thor.

Someone had it out for his brother, and Loki was not going to let them get off lightly.


	10. Chapter 10

Part 10

Tricks were set aside come the second round at least. The assassination attempt was at the forefront of Loki's mind. News had spread quickly, and he'd been offered condolences and offers of 'comfort' from his prospective suitors more times than he cared to recall. He spoke little, and it was generally assumed that he was still recovering from the 'traumatic' event. It angered him that he was still being effeminized at every opportunity, even by the female competitors, but he let it slide for now. At least people were leaving him alone to think. He barely registered Volstagg's very narrow victory against the sphinx as he thought everything over.

It was his first instinct to suspect Magni, but the rational side of his mind allowed him to realised he could not allow his bias to cloud his judgement. Despite the great celebration of 'unity' that had taken place less than a week ago, the people of the nine realms were still as hostile to any lands outside of their own as ever, and Asgard had its fair share of enemies that would love to claim they had taken down the first heir to the throne. He had angered the dwarves, the dark elves sought out victory wherever it could be found, the Vanir may have been their ally, but they were always jealous of the higher authority Asgard held and it would be foolish to think the Jotun held Odin no ill will at all.

The cheer of the crowd brought Loki out of his musings, and he looked up to see Thor walking out to face the riddling monster that Odin had mysteriously acquired. He longed to ask his father exactly how he had achieved such a feat, but he was certain the All-Father would never reveal it to him. He leant forward on the balcony of the box to watch his brother closely, ignoring the stern glares of his parents at his poor social etiquette.

Not that Thor was doing any better. He never did mysterious warrior well. All his nerves and anger of the previous night appeared to have vanished in his sleep. A wide grin split his face, and he was encouraging the crowed, red cape billowing around him majestically. With a laugh he threw Mjolnir into the air, carrying his precious weapon despite not actually needing it for the task at hand. Finally, he came to stand in front of the mighty sphinx, hands on his hips as if he was facing one of his hunting dogs.

Loki did not have to turn to know that Frigga was rolling her eyes. She loved her son, but he could be so ridiculous at times.

"Come now Sphinx, have at me! I can take on any challenge, be it weapons or words!" The crowd cheered once more and Loki sighed. He was fond of his brother, but he had to admit there was a significant part of him that wanted Thor to fail, just to see him brought down a peg or two.

The sphinx smiled placidly, crossing her paws.

"You are arrogant, Son of Odin, but brave. I will not bandy words for you. Here is your riddle;

This thing, all things devours,

Birds, beasts, trees and flowers,

Gnaws iron, bites steel,

Grinds hard stones to meal,

Slays kings, ruins town

And beats the high mountain down."

The sphinx smiled gently once more and Loki could see Thor mouthing the riddle to himself. Loki was unimpressed with the easy riddle, but he knew Thor may not work it out so quickly.

"Time!" he said under his breath. "Come on Thor. It's 'Time'!"

It felt like a lifetime before Thor met the eyes of the Sphinx once more and opened his mouth.

"Is the answer...time?" Thor asked warily, his voice nervous to anyone who knew him well enough. Loki let out a breath he did not know he had been holding.

The Sphinx stood and bowed. "You may pass."

Thor practically ran from the stadium, relieved. Loki saw him unite with his friends on the other side, who clapped his back and congratulated his victory. Thor was distracted though, and was looking back to the stadium.

Magni was facing the sphinx.

Loki hoped the Ljósálfar have a fit of madness and challenge the sphinx, but he knew it was only wishful thinking.

The sphinx spoke her riddle.

"In the marble walls, as white as milk.

Lined with skin as soft as silk,

Within a fountain crystal clear,

A golden apple does appear.

No doors are there to this stronghold,

Yet thieves break in and steal the gold."

Magni looked distinctly unimpressed.

"An egg, mistress Sphinx."

The sphinx stood and bowed, and Magni exited the arena, giving Thor a smug glance as he passed the Asgardian.

Loki found he could not watch anymore, etiquette be damned. He left the royal box, ignoring his father's stern words. He knew he would be reprimanded later for his actions, but right now he just wanted to be alone with his books.

Thor found him much later in the library, following the raised voice of their father as he scolded Loki and made him promise to remain present for the rest of the tournament. Odin smiled at Thor as they passed each other at the door, having already told him at the evening meal how proud he'd been of his performance.

"Hiding in here brother? You missed the evening meal. You could have been admonished in public that way and entertained us all."

Loki closed his book.

"Such kind words Thor. You are in a much better mood than yesterday I see."

"Yes, well you were right brother. I am not completely unintelligent after all." Thor looked so pleased with himself in that moment that Loki fought the urge to bring him down with an insult. A battle which he lost.

"I'm pretty certain father requested that the sphinx go easy on you all. A child could have solved those riddles for fun."

Thor shrugged.

"I do not care that you mock me Loki, I am accustomed to it. I am through to the next round of the tournament, and that is all that matters. The subject of which was announced at tonight's dinner, you would have heard had you been there." He sat down next to the smaller man, and picked up the book he had been reading. Loki snatched it back.

"You have no interest in books Thor, keep your filthy paws off of them. And pray tell, what will the third round to determine my keeper consist of?"

Thor poked his tongue out childishly, which Loki returned.

"I can be childish too Thor, now tell me."

"Fine. Father will be sending us into a maze that will be fashioned in the arena. It will consist entire of caves and will be pitch black. There will be traps and minor aggravated animals such as wolves and the like inside and we must navigate our way out within three hours. Anyone not out at the end of that time will be disqualified. It is mere stealth, we have done this many times in our own adventures, it shall be effortless." Thor sounded rather smug as he finished.

"I see. Well, it may be a challenge for the Ljósálfar and the Vanir, both are far more used to light and vision. I imagine the dwarves and the Svartálfar will do particularly well in this test. More than likely the Jotun too, since Jotunheim seems to exist in a perpetual nightfall."

Thor stood.

"I look forward to it, I had to think far too much in today's trial for my liking. I am going to join my friends for some merriment, will you not join me brother?"

"Not the gardens today Thor?" Loki opened his book once more.

"No, I am afraid they have lost much of their appeal, and I have not spend time in company of a good ale in a good fortnight." Thor jested.

"Then I will not be joining you tonight. I wish to finish this text, and that soup you call ale is much too coarse for my tastes. Have a good time Thor."

Thor clapped him on the back and Loki scowled.

"Good night to you also Loki. Do not strain your brain too much with your texts!" With that, Thor left the library and Loki returned to his book, desperate to study.

There was only a three day reprieve until the next tournament and he had to make sure he was going to be able to hold a clone for three hours. There was far too much mischief to be made in a darkened maze and he was not going to pass up such a divine opportunity.


	11. Chapter 11

Part 11

Loki's clone was holding brilliantly, and he barely had to exert any effort to keep it that way. He hadn't been too worried anyway, he'd kept one for a whole day before, but he wasn't using his magic in any other way that day, he'd just been hiding from a tedious royal event. He was already completely invisible, and the clone hadn't even flickered. Perfect.

He was crouched by one of the entrances to the gloomy maze of caves, waiting for Odin to finish his customary speech and let the warriors enter for their challenge. Each warrior had their own entrance to the maze to make sure no one tried to follow anyone else. Loki had decided he was going to use Volstagg's entrance to enter the maze. Thor knew him too well, Hogun would probably detect his footsteps (the man had extraordinarily keen hearing) and from the look of Sif's face she was more than certain that the young prince would be joining them in the maze and would be undoubtedly on high alert.

As Odin droned on, Loki wondered idly if Heimdall would tell his father what he was doing. He had mastered the art of hiding from the all-seeing warrior long ago, but it was too late for that now and would exert more of his energy than was necessary. The stoic man had been unmoved by the precession of warriors that had arrived through the bifrost, and if Loki didn't know any better, he would say that Heimdall found the whole thing utterly ridiculous. In any case, Loki imagined he had far more important things to turn his sight to, and cast it from his mind.

Odin's speech drew to a close, and with a blast of a trumpet they entered the caves. Loki waited a few moments to let them get a safe distance away, he didn't want to get caught before he'd barely entered the caves, and then followed them into the darkness.

A quick muttered spell, and Loki could see as clearly as day in the caves. He almost laughed out loud to Volstagg lumbering ahead, the large mans arms stretched out in front of him like a child just learning to walk. He looked utterly ridiculous. He then stopped dead, arms still outstretched and Loki could see why, even if Volstagg could only hear it.

A growling wolf had rounded the corner up ahead, and it was clearly not happy to have found itself in a dark cave, especially since it had more than likely been knocked out and had to wake up there, confused and probably hungry.. Volstagg reached for his sword and readied his stance for the wolf to pounce any moment. Loki did not have much concern for the man, he'd taken on fiercer, in worse conditions too. Loki had even been there sometimes.

The wolf threw itself at Volstagg, and Loki decided to leave him to it, nipping down a narrow tunnel that most of the warriors were probably going to miss in the darkness. It took him out into another of the larger tunnels, where he found one of the three Jotun warriors who had miraculous passed the Sphinx. Three out of thirty wasn't that impressive though. The giant was blundering around wildly, the bear trap he stood on snapping under his weight rather than injuring him. Loki was careful to give him a wide berth until he could get into another set of tunnels. Smirking slightly, he used his magic to trip the large creature, who went down with an almighty thud and cursed loudly.

"Helbindi?" A gruff voice called out, and another Frost Giant rounded the corner ahead, a large hand on the wall to give him a semblance of place.

"It is me Býleistr. I fell in the darkness of this damned trial."

The other Jotun felt his way over to his companion and helped him up. Loki pressed himself fully against the wall, decided to simply listen to the two. They were, after all, rather large. He had no plans to be crushed today.

"Thank you brother. Let us traverse the remainder of this maze together so we may both pass this trial and move to the next. It would be something of a poor gift were we to return to Jotunheim without the little Asgardian prince would it now?"

The first Jotun spoke with a great deal of bitterness and Loki was certain his reasoning to fight for his hand was not for any sort of peace between their great lands. He felt that this was something his father would like to know, but that would mean admitting he had entered the maze.

"Worry not, the Prince Loki shall return with us to Jotunheim and to father. I am certain we can best the pathetic excuses for warriors the nine realms have offered." They moved onward and Loki kept close, now eager to hear more of their conversation.

"But what of Thor? He has made it clear he will not be making the fight for Loki an easy one."

The other Jotun clasped his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"We will deal with him when the time comes. And were he to have an 'accident' in this challenge, I'm sure it would simply be a casualty of the tournament." Loki could see the wicked grin on the Frost giants face, even if his companion could not and he could feel his stomach drop.

"Are you suggesting we kill the heir to the Asgardian throne? Because that would be a very foolish idea, my dear brother." Helbindi, who Loki was beginning to assume was the elder, had dropped his voice in warning. Býleistr laughed.

"Of course not, Helbindi. I am not so foolish. I am simply saying were Thor to be perhaps, 'delayed' in some way and fail the challenge; it would remove him from our path for the future rounds."

Loki did not wait to hear Helbindi's answer. Pranks forgotten, he set off to find Thor and make sure he got through the round alive. He ran though the tunnels, keeping his steps as light as possible in hi search for his brother.

He passed by Hogun, a dwarf and Sif in his search, and couldn't resist pulling at Sif's ponytail as his passed, a childish pleasure, but amusing none the less. The female warrior had whipped round instantly, her eyes searching in the darkness.

"Loki!" She hissed "You should not be here!"

Loki merely laughed at her, and ran off once more. Sif huffed as she heard his footsteps disappear. The younger prince aggravated her to no end, but she knew that this was one of those situations that could quickly go bad. Loki got himself into them more often than most after all. She debated going after him, but quickly realise it would be useless. Even if she could follow him now, she had no doubt he was invisible too, and using some sort of spell to see in the blackness. She'd seen some other magic users doing something similar to achieve the task themselves. Exasperated, she continued on, perhaps stomping her feet a little more than necessary.

Loki carried on running, know his search was futile and probably unnecessary, Thor was a big boy after all, but he still wanted to find him and make sure his brother was alright. It was far easier to be injured in the dark.

And of course, if he was fine, Loki would have to cause some mischief, it would be a sin not to.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, he ran straight into Magni. They brushed shoulders and Loki pushed himself up against the wall, holding his breath. Magni would certainly be using a similar spell to his for sight in the darkness, and Loki was thankful for his invisibility spell. Magni had not moved since they had touched and looked around him slowly.

He thought he had gotten away with it, and then suddenly he could see his own feet and Magni was stood in front of him. He worried briefly about his clone, but he could still see clearly, so Magni had not dissipated all his current spells. He was slightly more concerned about the light elf in front of him. Magni was a few inches taller than himself and was looming over him a way that was quite intimidating. Loki would not allow Magni to realise that he was discomforted by this though.

"Oh dear, I appear to have been caught out." He commented casually, as if they were noting the weather.

"This is a rather dangerous place my prince, you should not be risking yourself out here for trickery." The light elf drawled, ignoring Loki's words. He placed a hand on the wall by Loki's head.

"Someone might do YOU a mischief." He smirked at Loki and the shorter man felt his stomach sink. He prepared himself, ready to defend against anything Magni might try.

As was a common event in his life, he was saved by his muscled oaf of a brother. Thor practically launched into the small cavern they were in. To Loki's surprise, Magni muttered a light incantation and lit the small room with a dim orb, so as not to completely blind Thor with the return of light to his eyes. Magni looked over to Thor and smiled, before languidly pushing himself away from Loki.

"Ah, Prince Thor. I am afraid I found your brother here. He had snuck into the caves after the challengers to cause mischief. I confronted him after this discovery, of course. It would be a great tragedy were his recklessness to cause him to come to harm."

Loki scowled, but he had to admit that Magni had quite a way with words. They probably had a lot in common, except that Loki was certain that he wasn't a complete bastard. (Certain others would differ in that opinion, but Loki had definitely never tried to force himself upon another).

Thor appeared to be mulling the situation over.

"Thank you, Lord Magni. I shall escort my brother from here. Your help has been greatly appreciated." He then narrowed his eyes at Loki.

"Come with me, brother." He ground out through his teeth, obviously angry.

"I shall get rid of the light now I am afraid." Magni smiled and dispelled his orb. "Do not worry, I shall keep this occasion to myself. No one shall know that Prince Loki was in these catacombs, we do not want to cause any unnecessary hassle in this already challenging tournament."

His footsteps could be heard getting further away and Loki let out a small sigh of relief, then a hiss of pain as Thor gripped his arm tightly.

"Are you mad brother?" he was clearly having trouble keeping his voice low, and Loki worried it could bring the Frost giants upon them.

"Please keep your words low brother! My intentions are pure Thor..." He tried to warn Thor of the Jotun plans, but Thor cut him off.

"I do not wish to hear it Loki. You will use you spells to lead us from this place and we shall be having words later, believe me." Thor squeezed his arm tighter and Loki decided to remain silent.

He led Thor from the tunnels swiftly using his magic, the tension between them palpable but he dared not speak. He could not a remember a time when Thor had been in such a foul mood. He'd had many a rage, where he screamed and shouted, but he was utterly silent as they walked and it was unnerving Loki greatly.

Finally they saw light, and in front of them Hogun exited the cave to cheers, so there was obviously still time left. Loki assumed invisibility once more.

"You will leave ahead of me brother, and go straight to my chambers. We will have words as soon as the warriors are dismissed."

Thor's tone was dangerous and it did not occur to Loki to disobey his brother. He left swiftly without a glance backwards. He could hear the cheers of the crowd as he moved to the palace halls, but did not once turn to see Thor's victorious exit from the maze.


	12. Chapter 12

Part 12

Loki had taken his time walking to Thor's rooms, not eager for the berating his brother was guaranteed to give him in lieu of their father, since Odin was unaware of his deception. He had his clone leave the box feigning light-headedness and made it vanish as soon as he was inside the halls of the palace.

He heard the tapping of footsteps behind him and glanced back to see his mother approaching him, a stern look on her face.

"Mother, I am just going to lie down. As I said I feel most light-headed, it must be the heat and excitement of the day." He smiled slightly at her.

"Do not lie to me Loki. It is most insulting." Frigga looked most displeased. Loki had not seen her so in a long time, since he and Thor were children and thought it would be a wonderful lark to put a frog into the bed of every single priestess within the temple in the centre of Asgard.

"What are you talking about mother?"

"You were in the maze today Loki. You may not be of my blood, but you are my son, and I can tell the difference between my son and a fake. That was one of your doppelgangers sat with your father and myself today." Frigga eyes were still stern, and Loki actually wished he had moved faster to Thor's chambers. The wrath of a mother was utterly terrifying.

"How could you be so stupid Loki? I know that you are prone to trickery, and no one expected you to change just for this tournament, but entering the maze? It was proven only last night that there are some now in Asgard that would rather take your neck than your hand. There are also those who hate your father with everything they have. Any chance to accuse him of deception would give them a perfect opportunity to bring war down upon our heads! You must not do anything so reckless again." Frigga's voice had rose during her tirade and Loki could see tears at the corners of her eyes. He suddenly felt very guilty.

"I am sorry mother. I did not think my games would have such repercussions."

Frigga's gaze softened and she placed a hand on her son's cheek. "Oh Loki. I do not mean to shout at you so. But you are my son, and I cannot help but worry. There was an attempt on your life last night. No parent should ever have to bury a child, and I do not think I could cope were I to have to do so. Please, please promise me you will not be so careless in future. There are so many amongst us now who cannot be trusted."

Loki hugged his mother tightly and promised, and when they had broken apart Frigga had fixed the calm, composed look she occupied so often.

"You may go now Loki, I need to find your father." Loki's eyes widened and she smiled. "Do not worry; I am not going to tell him of your adventure on this occasion. But you must not do this again. I shall see you at dinner tonight."

Loki said his farewells and headed once more to Thor's room, now feeling rather guilty on top of his trepidation.

Thor did not keep him waiting for long, and burst into the room. Loki stood to greet his brother.

"Thor..." he began, but Thor held up a hand and Loki decided it would be better to let him speak.

"I heard your conversation with mother Loki, I do think you have been reprimanded enough so I am not going to make this last long. I just want you to be totally aware of what you did today." He said sternly.

"I am already more than aware Thor. I did not realise I had cause our mother such grief." He said bitterly, looking to the floor. Thor was across the room and gripping both his arms in a painful manner once more before he had closed his mouth.

"Our mother? What about me, Loki? I care for you just as greatly! How did you think it made me feel to see him leering over you, looking at you like the soldiers look at their whores!" Thor was right in Loki's face, spit flying from his mouth in rage. It was most unpleasant and Loki grimaced.

"Please Thor, you are hurting me." He said quietly. Thor let go of him as if Loki had burnt him and walked away, resting his hands on a desk across the room with his back to his brother.

"I am sorry Loki. I did not mean to hurt you, or to fly to a rage."

"It is fine Thor" Loki said, rubbing his arm. He moved to his brother and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "Between you and mother, I have more than seen the error of my ways. The encounter with Magni was not pleasant for me by any stretch of the imagination by the way. I will not be entering the arena for my pranks for the remainder of the tournament, believe me."

Thor glanced to his brother and smiled, and Loki felt some of the tension of the day ease.

"By the way Thor, you should be wary of the Frost Giants" Loki struggled to recall their names momentarily. "Helbindi and Býleistr, they mean you harm. That's why I was trying to find you in the maze. They appear to want to win me for political ends, and believe that you will be in their way further in the competition. We were lucky we did not come across them in the maze, but they may try to remove you from the tournament in other ways."

Thor stood straight, a concerned look on his face.

"Perhaps that would explain why father was talking to them on the night of the feast. He probably has as little faith in their reasons for competing as I do. Thank you Loki, I shall be on guard for them from this point forwards."

It was when Thor stopped speaking that the two realised their proximity to each other. There was barely an inch between their noses. Loki could see the trail of where sweat had passed through the grime from the cave on Thor's face. Thor noticed for the first time how bright green Loki's eyes were, like emeralds. They remained like that for a few moments longer when there was a knock at the door.

Both of them jumped and practically flew from each other. Thor coughed in an obviously fake way whilst Loki's cheeks coloured with a blush that he desperately tried to force down. The younger man crossed the room and flung the door open to Thor's perplexed friends.

"Ah Thor your companions are here. I shall take my leave of you now. I will see you all at the feast." Loki's words were rushed, and he moved so quickly down the hall he may as well have been running. Thor was busying himself with removing his wrist guards and did not reply. Sif entered the room.

"I assume he has been firmly scolded for his actions today Thor? It was most stupid of him, and I thought he was known for being clever." Sif said the words with little venom. She was privately relieved that everyone had made it through the challenge unharmed for the most part, although Volstagg had lost half an eyebrow to a close call with a fire trap.

She noticed that Fandral remained by the door, staring after the direction the younger prince had fled in with a frown on his face.

"Are you coming in Fandral? You must tell Thor about you encounter with that scorpion creature that threw parts of itself at you!" She smiled at him; her voice deceptively light and Fandral seem to snap out of whatever stupor he was in.

"My apologies, I was miles away. Yes of course. This creature was insane Thor! ..." Fandral sat on Thor's bed and launched into his story, after which Thor laughed and said they must all tell him of their experiences. Sif joined in with her tales, but couldn't help glancing between Thor and Fandral, trying to assess them.

She had the feeling this tournament was going to turn out to be far more complicated than they had first anticipated.


	13. Chapter 13

Part 13

Loki stayed in bed during the fourth round of the tournament, claiming illness. His parents allowed him to be absent and made their apologies for him, although his mother did come to check on him halfway through the challenge. She said it was to see if he was feeling any better, but it was obvious she was just making sure he wasn't causing any problems.

Although it was a fighting challenge and he could cause all his mischief from perfectly safe distances, he didn't point this out to Frigga. He'd been scolded enough for this week. Sif had given him another going over the day after the caves, although much of it was to do with him touching her hair. Apparently she was still bitter about the change of colour.

Not long after Frigga left, Loki decided to go for a walk, tired of staying in his room. He wandered the palace halls near the gardens, where he could barely hear the noise from the arena. Idly he wondered if Thor had started his challenge yet. Each warrior was to face off against a dragon and he felt guilty for strongly hoping Thor would not pass. That way they could go back to the way things were without awkward situations like the one after round 2. His cheeks coloured as he remembered Thor's face, inches from his, almost close enough to...

"Prince Loki!" A voice called him from his stupor and he raised his head, looking for the source of the voice. It was one of the warriors, a tall man with a long scar running from his eyebrow to his chin. The sorcerer distinctly remembered being introduced to him, but for the life of him he was unable to recall his name. Luckily he did not have to.

"Gregor, My prince. We spoke briefly at the feast. I was disappointed not to speak with you longer but I understand it was a hectic night. Would you mind if we walk together? I was just admiring your wonderful gardens, a respite from the effort of the tournament." He grinned, causing his scar to twist in a strange way at his cheek.

"Of course, Sir Gregor. I was just heading back to main halls. I'm afraid I am not too well. I was just taking some air before returning to my chambers." Loki sighed inwardly, but he was technically this man's host and it would be rude to refuse him without cause. Anger began to rise in him though as Gregor placed a hand lightly on his back and he realised he was treating this as he would an excursion through the gardens with a maiden.

Loki walked swiftly to the main halls, and Gregor had speed up a few times just to keep up with the irate man. Loki was not hiding his ill temper, but the man was not particularly bright, it seemed. That or he simply did not care.

"What is the rush my prince? I had hoped we could talk some more, privately." He grinned at Loki in a way he obviously thought to be charming.

"My apologies Sir Gregor. As I mentioned previously, I am not well today." They came to the hall that led off to the royal chambers, and Loki could not wait to be rid of the man. "I shall take my leave now, Sir. Perhaps we can speak again under more convenient circumstances." Privately, Loki hoped he would not have to see the man again in his life. All these brutish, thick-headed men exhausted him to no end. Thor got on with these people far easier than he ever would.

Gregor, it appeared, had other intentions.

"I'm afraid I have not been honest with you Prince Loki." He stepped closer to Loki, and raised a hand to his face, stroking his cheek with the backs of his fingers. What he obviously thought was an affectionate gesture appalled Loki. His hands were like sandpaper.

"I was not admiring your gardens, but was looking for you. I find you utterly beautiful my Prince, and look to seek your favour for the coming tournament. For you to be mine and support my fight would be a gift without value. You are radiant." He leant in to kiss Loki suddenly and Loki's anger could no longer be contained.

Using a spell of sheer force he pushed the man backwards. Gregor fell awkwardly and there was an audible crack as his arm broke, the bone pushing out of the skin. Loki did not care.

"You have been listening to a few too many bards, Sir Gregor." Loki was seething. Was this how all of these warriors envisioned him?

"I am not some simpering princess and I will not be charmed by your flowery words and lame attempts at poetry. This is not a story. I am Prince Loki, a warrior in my own right and the Prince of Lies. It will take more than decorated sentences and displays of strength to win my favour." He hissed, blades of energy within his hands. Gregor's expression was one of terror.

"I am sorry my Prince. I presumed too much. I will not bother you anymore." He stammered. Loki suspected he had not seen much magic in his time. He dissipated his magic.

"No Sir Gregor, you will not. There is no way you will be competing with a broken arm. I wish you a safe journey home." With that Loki turned and left, leaving Gregor on the floor.

A figure revealed himself from behind a nearby pillar and knelt by Gregor.

"I recommend you go to a healer my friend." He advised, helping Gregor to his feet. He then turned to follow the prince

Gregor, pale faced and shaking, placed a hand on the others arm.

"You just saw that! He's not normal, he'll do it to you! I'm dropping out and you should too. No titles worth being married to that!"

The other grinned and ushered the other on his way, before heading after Loki.

"Don't worry. Me and the prince go back a long way."


	14. Chapter 14

Part 14

Loki was angrily pacing his room when there was a knock at the door. Still outraged, he flung it open, the heavy wood making a loud bang as it hit to the door.

Fandral raised his eyebrows at Loki.

"What on Asgard has you in such a foul mood Loki?" He stepped inside without waiting for a greeting whilst Loki stalked over to his desk, retrieving the comforting crystal ball once more.

"Don't play dumb with me Fandral, I am in no mood for games. I am well aware that you saw everything that just happened. I never thought you to be the sneaky sort, Fandral. Have you come to laugh, gloat? Perhaps get more information to jest about with my oafish brother and your imbecilic friends?"

Fandral raised his hands defensively.

"Nothing of sort. I was merely on my way to see how you were feeling, you mother told us you were not well." He glanced away. "Also that Thor will be the next out into the arena, should you wish to watch his fight in this round. You have probably about a half hour. That Helbindi seems pretty evenly matched with a dragon."

Loki refused to turn around, still playing with the ball in his hands. He felt his anger fade, to be replaced by disappointment.

"I have no interest in watching the challenges today, whether the competitor be my brother or any other of my 'suitors'" He practically spat the last word out, like it was something foul that he had partaken and sat upon his bed.

Fandral opened his mouth, then closed it again, apparently decided against what he wished to say.

"Then I shall leave you Loki, since you do not appear to be in the mood for company." He turned to leave.

"Fandral, wait." He'd barely finished before Fandral had turned to approach him.

"Yes, Prince Loki?"

Loki sighed, and let the ball sit in his lap whilst he leant back and looked to his ceiling.

"Tell me, do they all think of me in such a way?"

Fandral appeared confused. "What way?"

"A maiden. A damsel. A prize to be won, just something of status to hold at their side and provide them with a title?"

Cautiously, Fandral sat at Loki's side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I would like to say otherwise, but I am afraid that appears to be the general opinion between the warriors, since it is often the case in tournaments such as these. But you know that the general opinion is very much mistaken, as do I, your brother and our friends from our various expeditions. You proved as much today, and that is one warrior who will no longer see you as accessory to his own greatness."

He smiled and squeeze Loki's shoulder before letting go.

"Between you and I, you have saved our skins more often than we'd all honestly admit."

Loki felt his heart lighten slightly, if not by much. He stood from the bed and returned his trinket to its place. Despite the opinions of the warriors around him, he knew there were those who knew what he was capable of, and that helped put his mind at ease slightly, if not completely. Thor may coddle him occasionally, but it stemmed from his affections as a brother rather than a distorted view of Loki's competence.

Loki quite often put Thor in his place immediately after these situations anyway. He feel a surge of a affection for his sibling and his ways.

He was also starting to understand why Sif acted the way she did. He would have to try to bare that in mind in future when she aggravated him beyond comprehension.

"Come Fandral, I believe I shall watch Thor compete after all. It should be mildly entertaining and I find myself in better spirits overall. I doubt the dragon will be much of a challenge for Thor and his favourite toy though."

He could have sworn for a moment that Fandral looked disappointed, but he must have imagined it since the man was all charm and smiles as was his usual demeanour as he stood once more.

"Yes, I'm sure he will have Mjolnir imbedded within the creature's skull before he is barely on the battlefield."

They walked towards the arena talking amicably until they came to where they would part ways. Loki thanked Fandral once more.

"Thank you again Fandral. Your words eased my annoyance at this whole ridiculous affair somewhat. I appreciate it."

Fandral shook his head. "It was my pleasure. However, I would like to say that Sir Gregor was right about one thing, if it is not too presumptuous of me.

Loki raised an eyebrow. He hoped he wasn't going to have to break another arm.

"And what would that be Fandral?"

"You are absolutely radiant my Prince." He bowed and took his leave before Loki could reply, his gait confident as always. Loki was torn between feeling angered and flattered. He settled on perplexed.

'My brother has some peculiar friends.' He thought as he headed to join his mother and father in the royal box.


	15. Chapter 15

Part 15

Round five was to be an obstacle course, a test of agility. Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Thor were fairly sure that they would pass this round without incident. Volstagg was not so sure. He was panting and sweating profusely as his so-called friends forced him to run lap around the training room. Loki was sat with them once again, his books present but he was far more interesting in watching his brother torture the large man. Volstagg was unimpressed. He stopped, leaning against the wall heavily.

"Not only do you torture me with these endless laps, but your snake of a brother joins us solely for the purpose of mocking me! I am telling you, this is not acceptable Thor, this is not how one treats their friend!" Were it not for the distinct whining to his tone, Loki might have been offended. As it was, Volstagg's complaining just heightened his mirth.

Thor seemed equally amused. "Come now Volstagg. It is high time you did some running anyway. It will do us no good if you cannot keep up with us on the battlefield."

Volstagg coughed and Sif smirked as she passed him some water.

"I find my enemies are all too eager to run to me on the battlefield, my friend." He argued. "Which suits me just fine. It leaves me more energy with which to cleave their heads from their necks."

"I would not be overly concerned my comrade." Fandral said, patting the exhausted man on the back. "Even if you do not pass the round of agility, at least you shall not be alone. After all, this is Thor's final challenge and he must drop out following its completion."

Thor's good demeanour dropped instantly, and though none of them noticed it, the smile left Loki's face too.

"Yes, well, we shall see about that." Thor said, sitting on one of the benches at the side of the hall. Volstagg grabbed the opportunity of distraction and also sat down, engaging Thor in conversation before he could decide the red-haired man needed to run anymore laps.

"What do you mean Thor?"

Sif scowled. "He means he has changed his mind and wants to stay in the competition." Her eyes flicked to Loki for the tiniest instant. "And it is madness. Do you really want to enrage the All-Father over a ridiculous rank?" Sif was certain that Thor's reasons for wanting to remain a competitor had traversed far beyond mere recognition now, but felt it was better to keep it to herself. It didn't seem that Thor himself had even gotten that figured out yet.

Fandral was quick to agree.

"You have had many arguments with you father lately, it would not be wise to upset him further."

Thor shook his head. Off to the side, Loki got to his feet, but remained by the wall.

"No. I am sure when father hears my reasons he will agree with me. There is far too much deception going on within this tournament and it would be better for me to stay. There has already been an attempt on Loki's life, and I have told you of the Jotun plot that Loki was fortunate enough to have overhead. And Magni.."

Sif cut him off.

"Magni is a horrid sort of person Thor, but he has not actually DONE anything Thor. You have nothing to accuse him with and it seems like you are grasping at straws. If I can see this your father definitely will. Let it go Thor, and leave this tournament with dignity."

Even the stoic Hogun spoke up.

"Sif is right, my friend. No good can come of this."

Thor turned to Loki, to ask his opinion, but found that his brother had vanished. He sighed and turned his anger onto one of the dummies of the training room.

"Then we shall agree to disagree my friends, and speak on this no more for now."

His friends looked to each other, but none could think of anything more to say. Volstagg leant back heavily in his seat and huffed. Fandral smirked suddenly.

"I say Thor, weren't we here originally to improve the physical condition of our good friend here?"

Thor turned from his task, smiling once more. Volstagg narrowed his eyes at the blonde man, and if looks could kill, Fandral would have most likely exploded.

"Yes we were Fandral! Thank you for reminding me. On your feet Volstagg, we have much work to do!"

Loki had snuck from the training room whilst Thor had argued with his friends, suddenly very uncomfortable. Up until this point he had been waiting for Thor to drop out, so he could have his brother back for his remaining weeks of freedom, but now it was coming to it, he wasn't so sure he wanted Thor out of the tournament. He just felt safer knowing Thor was competing, and he put it down to the Jotun plan, his encounter with Sir Gregor and his concerns over Magni. As much as he protested being treated like a woman, it was comforting to know how much Thor cared.

He was more preoccupied with Sif's statement about Magni. She was absolutely right, as she (annoyingly) often was. None of them liked or trusted him, Loki least of all, but he had not made any outright threats or attacks on anyone. Loki suspected he was behind the attempted assassination, and the situation in the maze had been both uncomfortable and intimidating, but there was absolutely nothing solid to accuse him with. It wasn't just his intelligence that worried Loki, although that was a bad trait for an enemy to have. There was just something unnerving about the man, something that felt wrong. Loki was certain the Light Elf was not this daunting the first time he had had the 'pleasure' of meeting him.

Shaking his head, he moved swiftly on to the library. With the argument and his own inner battles, he suddenly found himself eager for solitude.


	16. Chapter 16

Part 16

The day of the tournament came round far too quickly for Thor's liking, and it affected his mood dreadfully. Whilst waiting for their turns on the course, the warriors three found themselves trying to avoid their friend, busying themselves with pointless tasks. Sif was not so easily intimidated.

"Stop sulking Thor! You are not a child." Just in case he hadn't gotten the message, she punched her friend in the arm. He scowled at her and rubbed his arm, even though there was no way it had hurt the man.

"I am not sulking Sif. I am merely thinking of the challenge ahead."

Sif snorted, unimpressed. "And I guess those dark clouds overhead have come to cheer you on?"

Thor's scowl deepened, but he said nothing. Sif's name was called.

"Cheer up and come and support me you miserable bastard." She joked, pulling at his arm. "I don't like unhappy Thor, it's not normal." Thor's face stayed unchanged.

"Oh Thor, this is ridiculous" She sighed. "If it will really make you happy, talk with your father quietly after the feast tonight. Obviously providing you pass the round. But if he says no, don't push it Thor. People might start thinking you actually want to marry Loki."

She gave him a pointed look, but it was lost on Thor. He simply smiled at Sif.

"Thank you for your support Sif."

Sif just turned and went to take her place at the start of the obstacle course. "It's only to stop you looking like someone stole your teddy." She muttered under her breath.

Sif passed with flying colours, the young warrior exceptionally nimble, now only one of two women remaining in the tournament.

Luckily, the other woman, a young Vanir called Sigurdis was not as hostile as Brynja and they stood together to watch the remainder of the trials. Magni was next up to face the course and she glanced up at Loki, who was looking rather bored. He met her eyes and simply raised an eyebrow before turning his attention back to the arena. Not for the first time in her life, Sif wished the younger prince was as easy to read as his older brother, although there was much more at stake this time than a prank or a hunting expedition. She too returned her gaze back at the trials.

Magni was fast, as most of the Ljósálfar are and he was doing very well. It had started raining as he had started his turn, and had Sif been in the compound for the competitors yet to take their turns she would have punched Thor once more, perhaps this time in the face. It made no difference to the Light elf though, as he ran and ducked and jumped. He finished the course in spectacular time and without error. He smiled up at Loki when it was announced he had passed, who simply continued to watch the arena with his deadpan stare.

However, when Magni turned to leave the arena, a plank in the board walk snapped under his weight and he fell face first into the mud. A ripple of laughter travelled through the arena as the normal dignified elf slipped as he tried to get to his feet once more, before finally achieving his goal. With a red face and mud in his golden hair, he fled from the arena in a rage. Sif saw his face briefly. His expression was terrifying, twisting his normally flawless features into a face more at home on a demon. She shuddered and looked to Loki. He smirked at her, shrugged and she knew that he had caused the plank to break under the elf's feet.

The royal brothers were being a particular nuisance today, and none of it was going to turn out well.

Thor must have seen Magni's humiliation, because the rain eased off slightly and the sun began to break through the cloud cover. Sif placed a hand to her forehead.

"Are you well, Lady Sif?" Sigurdis asked, worry in her voice. She was a small, kind-hearted woman and Sif was always shocked by the change in her demeanour as soon as she was into a challenge. She smiled at the other woman.

"Yes Sigurdis, the tournament is simply weighing on me at the moment." She did not necessarily have to say which parts of the tournament. "You can call me Sif by the way. There is no need to be so formal." She grinned and the other women reddened.

"No no, Lady Sif. It would not be proper." Sif found Sigurdis's sense of propriety most amusing. There was a cheer from the crowd and she turned to see Thor about to take his place at the start of the course, riling the crowd up in his usual manner.

Of course he passed the course with ease, and he came to join Sif and Sigurdis at the side of the arena for observation.

"In a better mood I see?" She said as he approached. He just winked and glanced to his brother.

"My spirits have been lifted somewhat yes. Hail Lady Sigurdis! How do we find ourselves on this day?"

Sigurdis froze. For some reason she was always intimidated by the 'Mighty Thor' and stiffened if he ever addressed her. He knew this and exploited it often, finding it hilarious. Sif punched his arm.

"Don't be mean Thor. Now look, here comes Volstagg! He looks exhausted already!"

They all turned to watch Volstagg undertake the course, cheering him on as loudly as they could. (With Thor, this was quite loud indeed. Loki rolled his eyes above them at their ridiculous display) However, despite their mirth and Thor's improved mood, Sif couldn't shake off the feeling of wrongness that had spread over her. There was too much going on behind the scene in this tournament, and everything was going to get much, much worse before it got better.


	17. Chapter 17

Part 17

"Come now Volstagg! It is not so bad, at least now you can sit at the side, feasting and laughing whilst we embarrass ourselves in public for your entertainment!"

Fandral had spent much of the night's feast trying to cheer up his large friend, who had been disqualified from the tournament, but it didn't seem to be working. So far the man had consumed 3 wild boar, 4 chickens, half a cow and was working his way through a number of boiled eggs.

"You must slow down my friend. You will make yourself unwell!" Fandral tried to persuade his friend to restrain himself with little success, cringing as Volstagg washed it down with a whole jug of mead. He looked up as he noticed Thor re-enter the feasting hall with his father and brother. He stood to greet Thor and Loki as they joined the group, whilst the All-Father returned to his wife. Thor's expression was oddly unreadable.

"How did you fare?" he asked, curious for reasons of his own. Sif also stood, as did Hogun. The female warrior placed a hand on Thor's arm.

"Did you heed my advice Thor? It is not the end of the world if you can no longer compete after all..." Thor held up a hand, and Sif stopped her words.

"Father is letting me remain in the competition." He said, with little tone to his voice. Loki, who had returned to his seat, looked similarly apathetic.

"Father agreed with Thor that there are still those who cannot be trusted and will let him remain in the tournament up until the semi-finals." He stated, since Thor was being silent on what had taken place.

"Then why do you both act so out of sorts?" Fandral asked, keeping his voice low. "Surely this is a happy occasion for you Thor. And I highly doubt you care one way or the other honestly Loki."

"There was no argument. No contest to my claims. I told father that one of my men had overhead the Jotun, my concerns over the assassin and my lack of faith in Magni and he just asked me if I was sure. He stepped out briefly to talk with mother, and then told me that I can stay in the tournament until the semi-finals." Thor explained, his brow furrowing.

"Then I am still perplexed. Why are you not happy?" Volstagg spoke up briefly between furious bites of food, it evident on his face this was another blow to his ego, knowing he would be alone at the sides of the arena.

Surprisingly, Hogun spoke up. "The All-Father must share at least some of Thor's misgivings, strongly enough to want extra protection for Prince Loki to remain in the competition."

Thor nodded. "Exactly. And if Father holds concerns it must be serious." 

Loki's chair made a loud scrapping as he rose to his feet. "I am going to take my leave for the night, brother. Do not worry on Father's words for now, just enjoy the news that you shall remain in the tournament." Loki left quickly, only saying a brief goodbye his parents before retiring for the night.

Sif sighed as both Thor and Fandral's eyes did not leave the dark haired man until the doors had closed behind him.

"Come now Thor" She held her drink aloft. "Loki is right, we must find joy in what we can. To Thor's extended stay." She smiled and her companions also raised a toast. Volstagg, having consumed much already, did so far too enthusiastically and soaked all his friends with his pitcher. The tension was dispelled and the friends laughed and enjoyed their night once more.

Loki was not so easily placated. He noticed far more than Thor did from his position as younger son, less in the limelight. It gave him time to observe his parents in their positions, and whilst he could not claim to know Odin's mind, he at least could tell when something was wrong.

As he lay on his bed, he thought back to Thor's plea to their father. Odin's expression had changed slightly right after Thor had mentioned the Jotun incident, obviously changing names for Loki's sake and Loki had recalled how Odin had taken a private counsel with the Jotun group on their arrival in Asgard. He turned on his side and gazed out of his window.

Asgard appeared to have more enemies than even Odin anticipated.


	18. Chapter 18

Part 18

Sif hissed as the ogre caught her with its club, throwing her to the other side of the arena. She recovered quickly though, and ran at it full on whilst Hogun tried to sneak up upon the creature whilst it was distracted by his partner.

Round 6 of the tournament was based on teamwork, and Sif was grateful that she had been paired with her friend. The choices were supposedly at random, but Thor and Fandral had also ended up being partners, so she somewhat suspected foul play. She had been briefly concerned that they might not work so well together right now due to both of their desires for Loki, but she overestimated her friends, for once. Neither of them seemed to be completely aware of the others feelings and they worked well together, taking down their ogre with ease. However, as they had smiled and laughed following their victory, Sif had the feeling their friendship was simply too strong to be affected by such a matter. It had warmed her to no end, and helped quell the strong feeling of unease she'd had for some time now.

She grinned as she approached the ogre, their plan working against the stupid creature. A few more second and Hogun would have taken it down, and they would also be through to the seventh round.

Or so it seemed. Right at the last second, the ogre swung round and it club struck Hogun directly on the side of the head, with such great force he hit the wall of the arena with an almighty thud. Sif roared in rage as the ogre made its way towards the unconscious man. She dived between its club and her friend and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she found herself outside of the arena, along with Hogun. She could see the other man being tended to by healers and the ogre in the arena looking most confused. The invigilator had pulled them from the arena with his magic. He put a hand on Sif's shoulder.

"I am sorry Lady Sif, but you and your partner have failed to pass this round. "

Sif nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She tried to remember she was one of only two females to make it this far, but defeat stung in any form. Thor and Fandral approached her, smiles long gone. They both placed an arm around her. Volstagg was with Hogun and the healers. He nodded to Sif as he left the room with the other man and his carers.

"We are so sorry Sif. But please do not be upset. You did so well." Fandral soothed.

"I am so proud Sif. Of you both."

Sif just turned and embraced her friends and tried not to cry. So her great relief, she succeeded.

Thor found himself in the gardens much later that evening, not in the mood for attending feasts. Hogun had awoken, bruised but otherwise alright. Sif and Fandral had remained with him in the healers ward, and Thor and Volstagg had stayed as long as they could until the healers ushered them from the ward, saying they would only allow two to remain for the remainder of the night. Thor and Volstagg offered to leave, Thor out of nobility and Volstagg simply because it took more than a friends hurt head to keep him from a meal. No one was offended. They had all suffered worse, and it was simply Volstagg's way of dealing with crisis. None of them would begrudge him that.

Loki noticed immediately as his brother entered the gardens, and was reminded how long it had been since they had spent time together in the place. Thor sat next to him, and they remained in silence for some time. Finally, Loki ventured to speak.

"How are they?"

Thor sighed. "Hogun has woken now, sore but otherwise fine. I believe Sif feels immensely guilty for what happened though, even though it was in no way her doing."

"These things happen. They both did very well to achieve what they did. After all, there are only ten competitors left now is there not?" Loki offered, his words unusually gentle. As much as he liked to tease his brother, now was not the time. He could tell his brother was hurting, having lost three of his closest friends and allies from the competition in just about as many days.

"Yes, there are. And both Magni and Helbindi are among them." Thor's voice dropped low. "I wish that it were more than just Fandral and I remaining, even if it was just one other. You are going to have to marry one of these 9 that remain, and I would prefer that it wasn't either of those two scoundrels."

Loki decided to inject some humour into the conversation, to try to cheer his brother somewhat. He nudged him with his shoulder.

"You know, Fandral is still in the tournament. I should imagine it would be most strange for you were he to win my hand." He smirked at Thor, who looked horrified at the mere concept.

"You and Fandral? He's one of my best friends Loki! That is not something I want to be contemplating!" Thor turned away as he thought of a variety thing Fandral would do with his brother were he to win his hand, and more specifically thing HE could do with Loki were he to win the tournament...

Loki laughed, his grin maniacal. "It is not something I wish to entertain either, but it distracted you from your copious angst did it not?" He leant against Thor's shoulder, clutching his sides at the expression that was still plastered on Thor's face.

Thor smiled. "Thank you Loki. You have lifted my spirits, although next time I'd prefer a more traditional joke perhaps." He leant back "You know, you are beautiful when you laugh."

Loki's laughter stopped abruptly and Thor's jaw went slack as he seemed to realise that he had said his thought aloud. Loki made to stand, but Thor was quick to grab his arm, keeping him in a semi-crouch from the ground.

"Thor. I wish to go to sleep. It had been a long day." Loki would not meet his eyes and it hurt Thor more than he could describe.

"Please Loki, I did not mean..." Loki met his gaze, his expression stern and Thor forgot what he was trying to say as he looked into the deep green eyes.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had pulled Loki to him and kissed him deeply, and to his great joy Loki returned the kiss with force, kneeling slightly above the other man and tangling slim fingers into blond hair, tugging slightly. Thor groaned and Loki broke the kiss, their lips barely touching.

"No Thor...this is...No"

Thor's arms swung in at themselves as the other man literally vanished from his grip, the ghost of a kiss on his lips. He dropped his head to his hands and screamed in rage, before punching one of the gardens trees so hard it cracked under his fist.

He didn't notice the splinters and the blood dripping down his hand as he stormed into the palace.


	19. Chapter 19

Part 19

The seventh round was only a few hours away and Thor had not seen hide or hair of his brother...of Loki for four days, since he'd vanished after the 'incident' in the garden. It was not for lack of trying, but if Loki had decided he did not want Thor to find him, then he would not be found. He knew he had been around, his mother had asked if everything was alright, picking up on the tension between her children swiftly, as a mother often can. Thor had simply said they had had a disagreement, and she was content with that. Her boys had argued often before. Thor smashed things, large expensive things and Loki would disappear, once for a whole week. It was simply their way. (It may not have been a particularly healthy or cheap way to deal crisis, but it was still theirs). She smiled gently at Thor and told him it would all work out.

Thor was not so sure.

He finally came across his brother in the depths of the palace. He heard voices and looked over the balcony to the hall below to see his brother and Fandral deep in conversation. Loki was laughing slightly and Fandral's grin lit up his eyes.

He had not been aware the two were so close.

He crouched by the railings so as to hear their conversation. He did not try to deceive himself that he was not eavesdropping. He could see them slightly straighter on from this angle and he noticed they were stood quite near to each other. Jealousy surged in him, but he forced it down. It would not do to make things worse.

"Seriously though Loki." Fandral said. "It may help were you to tell me what is bothering you so. You cannot keep taking your anger out on other people; your poor maid is at her wits end."

"She has been my maid long enough Fandral. She should expect the odd prank or two by now" Loki scoffed, waving a hand as if to brush the words aside.

"You made an image of Hel walk out of the pantry and tell her that it was time. She's an old woman Loki, it could have well sent her to off to the realm of the dead anyway!" Fandral was truly scolding Loki, and the other man had the good grace to look shamed, although Thor doubted there was much sincerity in it.

"Fine, no more pranks on the maid Fandral. Will that keep you happy?"

"No. I want you to tell me what is going on. You are driving everyone mad." He gave a pointed look. "BOTH of you."

Loki scowled. "Well, why do you not speak with Thor then? He is more your friend than I after all."

"I think of you both fondly, Loki." Fandral glanced towards the door. "Also, your brother has much more of a propensity towards violence when he is out of sorts. None of us dare approach him whilst he is in such a rage, not even Sif."

"Thor and I have had a disagreement. It is no different from any other and we shall sort it out. In time. Until we do so, it would be better were everyone to just leave us alone." Loki turned away from the blonde man. "You are not the first to try to talk to me Fandral. My mother and Sif have already approached me and I doubt you can have much different to them to say."

"That depends. Did Sif ask if this 'disagreement' is over Thor's feelings for you?"

Thor thought he felt his heart stop. Loki looked similarly shaken.

"What in the name of the All-Father are you talking about Fandral?" his voice was steady, controlled and with little emotion. That was how Thor knew that Loki was truly terrified.

"I am not as dull-witted as you think, Loki. It is perfectly obvious to Sif and myself, even if it isn't to anyone else, although I do think that Sif believes me to be as in the dark as the rest of them." He stepped towards Loki, slowly, like approaching a wounded animal. Loki was in no mood for gentle words.

"Do not be ridiculous Fandral!" He hissed "We are brothers. What you speak of is lunacy!"

"And judging by your reaction, I would guess I am not far from correct am I?" Thor was astounded by Fandral's insight. He had not thought his friend to be so shrewd.

"You are not brothers by blood; it is not a far stretch of the imagination to think that you could grow more attached to each other." Fandral's voice was tinged with disappointment and the pieces slowly began to slide together in Thor's mind.

"You do not know what you say..." Loki's voice trailed off. Thor could see the glint of tears at the edge of Loki's eyes, but he could not tell if they were from rage, sadness or some other emotion.

"Unfortunately I do. Just think on it Loki, please. Perhaps talk to Thor. And please stop taking it out on other people. I did not appreciate it when my wine turned to vinegar in my mouth." Loki smirked, but it was quickly pulled from his face when Fandral pulled him into an embrace. He looked awkward for a moment, but then relaxed slightly, patting the other man gingerly on the back.

"I care for you and Thor both, more than you know. I hate to see you like this."

Thor was certain Fandral was hurting far more over Loki than he was himself and the jealousy revived itself once more, too much to contain. He swiftly left the room, a scowl on his face.

Outside, clouds rolled in, thick and black.

Thor headed down the stairs quickly, but it was apparently not quick enough. Fandral came out of a nearby door, the one that lead to the hall he had been in with Loki. He looked to Thor and realised immediately what had occurred. Loki was nowhere to be seen.

"Thor I..." Fandral couldn't finish his sentence as he was forcefully slammed into the opposite wall, Thor holding the smaller man in place quite easily.

"Tell me Fandral." He asked, voice dangerously low. "Did you enter this tournament to aide me and to achieve fame?"

"Of course Thor." Fandral choked out, Thor's grip forcing the air from his lungs.

"Do not lie to me 'friend'." Thor threatened, not realising that Fandral was steadily turning red. Fandral gestured wilding to his chest and the cloud of rage cleared somewhat. He let Fandral down, starting to feel guilty. Fandral slid down the wall to the floor, massaging hi s chest. In his jealously he had forgotten that for the most part his friend had been trying to convince Loki to talk to him once more.

"I apologise Fandral. I am not in my right mind as of late." Guilt started to consume him, but Fandral shook his head, taking deep breaths.

"I have not been entirely honest with you either, Thor. I did enter the tournament at your request, but that was just convenient. I have had feelings for your brother for some time now, and I could not let a tournament for his hand pass by without even attempting to win." Fandral looked away from Thor, who sighed and offered Fandral a hand.

"Why had you not made your intentions known before?"

"Your broth...Loki is not the most approachable of men. Whilst he remained unattached it was easier to admire from a distance. But when it was to be certain he would be married, I simply couldn't be content to watch anymore. I never wanted it to come between our friendship Thor" Fandral placed a hand on the other mans shoulder "Of course, I didn't anticipate you developing feelings for him either."

"Believe me, you are not the only one." Thor passed a hand over his face.

"I will not ask what happened between the two of you any further, it is not my place. I will say that with only ten remaining in the tournament, we are now rivals Thor. I am sorry."

"I do not hold you any ill will my friend. There is far worse in the competition vying for my brothers hand than you." He clapped his friend on the back, who was pushed forward roughly by Thor's strength. He rubbed his arm ruefully, but smiled anyway.

A slow clapping was heard.

"Well, isn't this just lovely? You were both able to recognise your friendship over your mutual love for the Prince Loki. How incredibly sweet." Magni sneered at them " It is sickening."

Thor and Fandral glared at the elf.

"What do you want Magni?" Thor asked, wary.

"Oh nothing. I really was just moved by your heartfelt display of friendship for a comrade. It is wonderful that you will still have each other after I win the tournament, and Loki's hand."

"You should be so lucky." Fandral scoffed.

"Oh I will be gentlemen. I will be. Now, we are going to be late for the seventh round. I wish you the best of luck." his words practically dripped with malice. He gave a deep bow and left the hallway. Thor looked to Fandral.

"We may be rivals now, but I would prefer to lose to you than to him any day."

"I concur." Fandral held out a hand, which Thor took and shook firmly. "Good luck for the rest of this tournament my friend."

"And to you...but not too much." Thor jested, and they left for the seventh round of the tournament, talking as happily as usual, although each had much on their minds.

Thor was nervous. He was starting to accept his feelings for Loki, but whether Loki would acknowledge that he returned them was still up for debate. Either way, the conversation with his father to become a true competitor for Loki's hand was not going to go down well.

Fandral couldn't help but feel dismay. He may still have a chance at winning the tournament, but he was more than convinced that Loki's heart was long gone.


	20. Chapter 20

Part 20

Round seven had gone as smoothly as it could have done, in five rounds of two versus two, with the winner of each round passing through to the semi-final. Thor, Fandral, Helbindi and Magni were the finalists of the competition, and Thor was glad he had controlled his temper against his friend now more than ever. It was good to have an ally with both Magni and Helbindi left to face, their intentions less than pure.

The two other fighters, Sigurdis and an Aesir guard called Einar were the last to face each other. They were visibly pained by this, having developed quite a friendship over the weeks of the tournament, but they had not let it affect their fighting. Thor watched as they clashed mercilessly, and they seemed to be evenly matched. After an hour, it had become quite dull. They were tiring at the same pace and they could probably do this all day without a winner.

Thor glanced up to Loki in the royal box, who looked as bored as he felt. Loki must have felt the gaze on him, for he turned his head towards Thor before realising who gazed at him and rapidly turning his attention back to the arena. Thor sighed and also returned his concentration to the match. Sif, who had been filled in on everything that had taken place, stepped to his side and squeezed his arm, but said nothing.

Finally, Einar and Sigurdis were stood facing each other both panting heavily, but more than capable of carrying on. Einar stared at the Vanir woman for a moment, then to the surprised of everyone threw his sword to the ground and took off his helmet, offering his hand out to his opponent. The entire arena held their collective breaths as they awaited Sigurdis's response to this brave proposal.

Sigurdis hesitated for an instant, then smiled and repeated Einar's actions, taking his hand. He held both of them in the air.

"Gracious All-Father." He yelled towards Odin. "My opponent has fought valiantly and we are both agreed that we are evenly matched in skill on the battlefield." He smiled at Sigurdis.

"I agree, almighty All-Father." She continued "We humbly request that you accept our joint resignation from this tournament." They both bowed and awaited Odin's response. The All-father stood, a smile his face.

"I accept your resignation. You have both fought valiantly and Asgard shall recognise the Lady Sigurdis and Sir Einar as warriors of distinction from this day on."

The arena cheered loudly and the two warriors left the arena for the last time. It would come as no surprise when the couple announced their engagement a few months later.

"That was unexpected." Fandral commented from his place at Thor's side. Hogun nodded in agreement.

"But now it is only you two, Helbindi and Magni in the semi-final." Volstagg commented. "I would not be surprised if Thor were to face the elf in the next round." His friends nodded in agreement. Thor glanced over to where Magni was observing the arena. Magni noticed and met his eyes, his look challenging.

"I can honestly say I am looking forward to it."

Thor was surprised to be approached by his father during the nights feast. He had not seen much of his parents as the end of the tournament drew near, the preparations for the finals and the engagement that would follow consuming much of their time. He stood to greet his father.

"Hello father. What brings you to my side this late in the evening?" he had a strong suspicion it was about his dropping out of the tournament. He was not looking forward to this conversation, but it was better done sooner than later. Odin's expression was serious.

"Thor, would you mind coming with me? Your mother and I wish to speak with you privately?" he asked, his voice quiet as if he were afraid someone would overhear.

Thor nodded his consent. "Of course not. I shall see you later my friends." He said his goodbyes and Sif and Fandral both mouthed a 'good luck' at him.

He followed his father in silence to wherever the All-father was taking him. He had expected the throne room, so it was a surprised when Odin led him to a small office where the king did the majority of his political paperwork. His mother was already inside, stood by the large desk, as was Loki. They still had not spoken since the garden incident, despite Fandral's urging and he tried not to look at the other man as he entered the room. He'd rather Loki was not here for this, but it could not be helped.

He took a deep breath, wanting to speak before his father.

"Father, I know I am supposed to resign from the tournament now. But I want to request to stay in the tournament. To fight for Loki's hand." He risked a glance at Loki, whose green eyes were wide in shock. He braced himself for the storm he expected Odin to unleash.

After a few moments silence, he was starting to feel uneasy. Finally, Odin sighed.

"Your mother suspected as much. I cannot say I am pleased by this Thor, but Loki is not your brother by blood and your mother has convinced me I should give you a chance in this. If Loki agrees." Thor looked to Frigga, who nodded her agreement and he honestly worried that he might pass out in shock. Loki remained silent.

"Loki?" Frigga tried to prompt her youngest into speaking. He refused to look at Thor.

"Thor is free to do as he pleases." He said, his voice unreadable.

"Then that is that." Odin replied. "I will say no more on this matter for now, but you must know Thor that I do not agree with this at all. You were raised as brothers, you..."

Frigga coughed in an obviously fake way. "Saying no more dear?" Her tone was light, but Odin knew his wife well to know it was very much a warning.

"Anyway" he continued. "That is not why we brought you here. Your mother and I actually wanted to request that you remain in the tournament Thor. We had not expected him to actually get this far..." he mumbled the last part, almost to himself.

"You mean Magni father? Does he have some plot against Loki?" Thor's voice began to raise, but Odin silenced him with a hand.

"No, not the elf. The Jotun, Helbindi." He leant on the desk with one arm and rubbed his forehead wearily, looking like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Loki's brother."

Even Loki had to stand at that.

"What?" both he and Thor said in tandem, united in their confusion.

Frigga approached Loki quickly, placing her hands on his shoulders, taking the responsibility of explained away from Odin, who looked exhausted.

"We are sorry we did not tell you sooner Loki, but the circumstances under which you came into our family are not as we first claimed." She rubbed his shoulders soothingly, but he said nothing, waiting for her to continue her explanation. Thor waited similarly, tempted to demand her to speak, but this moment was Loki's, not his.

"You were found in a temple, but not the one in the city, as we first told you. After the battle with the Jotun, Odin...your father, Loki, for that is what he is, no matter what. He found you in a temple in Jotunheim, abandoned." She finished, her grip remaining on Loki's shoulders, should he try to flee. Loki seemed to be struggling for words.

"But, how can I be Jotun?" he stammered. "I do not look Jotun, I have none of their abilities, their strengths or weaknesses. You...You are lying." He accused, trying to step away from his mother, whose unshed tears had begun to pour down her cheeks.

Odin shook his head.

"When I found you, you were a tiny, weak baby and would have been even for an Aesir . As I touched you, you took on the form you have today, almost like a reverse of the way the frost giant's touch affects us. I suspect were a Jotun to touch you, you would return to the way you were when you were born."

Loki shook his head, tears forming in his own eyes.

"But why? Why take me? You had just killed them in their thousands; you had your own young son." He finally cast his eyes on Thor fully for the first time in days, though his eyes were unreadable. "Why not just leave me to die?"

Loki practically screamed the last words, and Thor wanted to comfort him so badly it physically ached. As it was, it felt like he wasn't even in the room, but rather observing from some far off place. He couldn't bring himself to move or speak.

"You are only a baby." Odin explained, obviously trying to keep his voice steady. Frigga's tears flowed freely now. "You had done nothing wrong, except be born small."

"No!" Loki's face was twisted into a snarl that marred his features in a horrid way. It seemed at home on him, in an odd way and Thor didn't really like that at all. "You took me for a purpose, what was it?"

"I hope that one day you may bring peace between our two realms." Odin sighed. "But Helbindi has made it clear that cannot happen. Either way, it does not matter. You are OUR son Loki."

Frigga embraced her son once more and Loki let her this time, something unreadable on his face.

"We raised you, and loved you Loki. We care not what you are, or what blood you have. We just want you kept safe and loved. Please, I know you must be angry at us, but know everything we did, we did for you." Frigga pleaded, pulling back. She looked to her son's face. "What is it Loki?"

"You said Helbindi is my brother?"

"Yes. Your blood brother. It is my belief he seeks to impress Laufey by winning you from us and taking you to Asgard." Odin frowned. "But knowing Laufey, I am certain Helbindi did this without his knowledge. This is not the kind of act that would impress him. He is trying to impress his father but he is doing it in entirely the wrong way."

"Laufey's son?" Loki closed his eyes. "I am Laufey's son?"

Odin and Frigga glanced to each other guiltily as they realised they had not disclosed that particular information.

"It matters not who sired you, Loki. We are your parents and we love you." Frigga placed her hand on her sons cheek, wiping away one of his tears.

"Please." He said, his voice barely a whisper. "I am not angry with either of you, but I would like to be alone."

He fled the room before either of his parents could contest his words and a heavy silence descended on the room. Odin turned towards the cupboards behind his desk, his back to his wife and his son.

Frigga walked to Thor, placing a comforting hand on his bicep. It shook him from his stupor.

"Are you alright Thor?" she asked, voice shaky. He nodded, and hugged his mother to him.

"I am fine. It is Loki I am worried about. "There was more lying in the sentence than Thor cared to disclose, but the look in his mother's eyes told him that she was alright with his feelings. It brought him little relief after the revelations of the night though.

"Go to him."

Thor looked up to his father, but the All-Father had not turned around.

"Go to him Thor. He needs you now. I confess, I do not always know what goes through the mind of my youngest, but I can tell he cares for you and he needs comfort from one who loves him the most. "Odin turned round, his countenance a mixture of grief and rage.

"Go, before I change my mind!" He roared at Thor, who turned and left the room without argument.

Frigga crossed the room and held her husband to her. He would never say it out loud, but she knew he was regretting this tournament for Loki's hand, despite starting it with nothing but good intentions. It was hurting her entire family. Loki was felt distraught and betrayed, Thor was lovelorn and confused and Odin was growing wearier by the day. He would have to enter the Odinsleep immediately following the tournaments conclusion. If Frigga had her way, it would happen right now, but she knew it would be foolish whilst so many enemies remained within the kingdom.

The King and Queen held each other tightly, taking comfort in each other and Frigga prayed with all she had that her family would recover from this.


	21. Chapter 21

Part 21

Thor had searched all of Loki's usual haunts, including the gardens and his bedroom but he had been unable to find him as of yet. He had even checked on the roof of the kitchens, even though Loki had not hidden himself in that spot since he was 9 years old.

An hour had passed and it was almost midnight. Thor was just about ready to give up when he had a flash of inspiration. He grinned and began to run, certain he now knew where Loki was.

He had been correct his assumption. Loki was in the weapons room, stood in front of the Jotun casket, hands poised to grab hold of it, but he had not yet done so. As Thor approached the other man slowly, he could see that Loki's was shaking.

Loki heard him approaching.

"Do not try to stop me Thor." He warned, moving his hands closer to the casket. Thor slowed his steps.

"Doing this will not bring you peace Loki." He said gently,

"You do not know that, 'brother'." Loki said, vindictively, still with his back to Thor. "I would like to know what I truly look like, since it turns out I have been living a lie as well as telling them." With that, Loki grabbed the handles of the casket, and Thor could see the other's hands growing blue, the darker blue marking of the Jotun raising on his skin. Thor quickened his pace, but by the time he reached Loki, he had completely changed.

Thor grabbed Loki's shoulders and spun him too him, taking a sharp breath at his brothers appearance. Blood red eyes had replaced the beautiful green gems he usually had, and his entire skin was blue with intricate darker blue markings, swirling over his skin. Thor still found Loki to be ethereally beautiful in this form, and he was astonished into silence.

Loki misinterpreted Thor's reaction greatly.

"What's wrong brother?" He hissed, almost in Thor's face. "Am I undesirable now that I look like your hated enemy? I guess this explains a lot of things doesn't it?" That damned sneer was back on Loki's face, and it was horrendous in any form. "It was never because you were older, because you were stronger. Father just couldn't have a frost giant sitting on the throne of Asgard! He just had to marry me off, get me out of the way so his precious Thor could take his rightful place as King!"

Thor couldn't take anymore. He grabbed Loki's hands in his own, briefly fascinated as Loki returned to his Asgardian appearance, like he was sucking the colour from Thor's own skin. Curious, he pressed his lips to Loki's cheek. It cut off Loki's tirade and Thor watched in awe as peach blossomed from where he had put his lips, transforming Loki's face to the one Thor had grown up with, his eyes returning to their marvellous green. He repeated his action on the other cheek, and soon Loki had returned completely to normal. Thor kept a tight grip on his hands, hoping with everything he had that Loki would not perform his vanishing act again.

"That is not true Loki. We're I to pass away, I am certain the throne would fall you, Jotun or not. Father loves you just as he loves me." He brushed aside stray lock of black hair that had fallen forward during Loki's outburst. "And I find you to be enthralling in any form. I care not what you look like, Loki."

Loki ripped his hands out of Thor's, but did not flee. Instead he stepped away from Thor, wrapping his arms around himself defensively. His grief was evident.

"You should." he spat out. "I am a monster. When we were children we used to sneak out of bed and listen to the soldiers telling stories about the Jotun. About their ugliness and their cruelty. They used to give us nightmares. You woke screaming one night because you were convinced there was a frost giant in the room and mother had to stay with you all night."

He met Thor's eyes, his own watery. He did not want to cry any more this day though, and held them back with everything he had.

"Children are still told tales about them Thor. As a threat. 'the frost giants will come and take you away if you don't behave', and the soldiers still brag of defeats against them. They are feared, they are loathed. I don't want to be the monster that parents tell their children about." He stopped and sighed, leaning back against one of the rooms tall pillars.

"It would be better if he had just left me there to die."

Before he knew what was happening, he had been lifted off his feet, forced up the pillar as Thor waged war against his mouth. He gripped the larger man's shoulders for lack of anything else to hold onto and couldn't restrain a whimper as Thor plundered his mouth. He had never been kissed so passionately before and he could do little but submit. Finally, they both needed air and Thor let Loki to his feet, resting their foreheads together. He looked into Loki's eyes.

"Never say that again." Thor practically growled the sentence out, his face feral. Loki nodded briefly in agreement, still stunned. Thor began to get back some semblance of himself .

"Please do not flee from me again Loki. This is not something we can just ignore." He pushed his body closer to Loki's, keeping him trapped against the pillar, although if Loki decided he wanted to leave, it was hardly going to stop him.

"This is wrong Thor." Loki whispered, even though they were alone. "We may not be blood, but for all intents and purposes we are brothers. The realm..."

Thor kissed Loki's lips once.

"They have not protested my entry in the tournament so far. I think if it were to be a problem, someone would have protested would they not? Father was the one who told me to come find you; you cannot use him as an excuse either."

It was the first time in his life that Thor could remember out-arguing Loki and he couldn't help but to revel in it a little. Loki was still concerned.

"But what of the tournament itself? You may not win, Thor." Loki closed his eyes, trying not to think of that prospect.

"It does not matter. If I want to win, believe me, there is little that will be able to stop me, be it elves or frost giants." Thor smiled confidently, but it dropped quickly from his face as his words became more serious. He eased of off Loki somewhat, more certain the sorcerer would not try to flee.

"What does matter is will you accept me? I will not force myself upon you, unlike some." Magni flickered at the front of both of their thoughts. "If you do not wish this, do not return my feelings for you and do not want me as a suitor you must tell me now. Because once I have your permission to try for your hand, I am going to fight for it with everything I have."

Loki kissed each of Thor's cheeks before placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

"You have my permission. To fight for my hand and to become one of my suitors." He then gripped Thor's chin tightly and gave him a stern glare. "But I swear to you, treat me like any of those maidens I see you with so often after your trips to the alehouse...or the whorehouse, and I swear I will make the rest of your life a living hell. It would be easy too, since we would be married."

Thor smirked.

"I can guarantee I will not be treating you like any sort of maiden."

He then proceeded to ravish Loki against the pillar, keeping both their minds firmly off the very real possibility that he might not win the tournament.


	22. Chapter 22

Part 22

The tension in the waiting hall could have been cut with a knife. Thor, Fandral, Magni and Helbindi were all stood waiting for the invigilator to arrive and tell them who they would be facing in the coming round. The two who remained would go on to the final, and the winner would then take Loki's hand. Thor smiled to himself as he thought of Loki, confident that now he knew Loki wanted him back he could not loose.

Fandral was not so arrogant. He had been bitterly disappointed to hear of the developing relationship between Loki and Thor now that Loki had acknowledged his feelings for Thor to be romantic in nature, but he had not given up yet. He couldn't let his friend get over-confident enough to make a mistake and not do anything though. Thor simply meant too much to him.

"Do not get cocky Thor. You may have Loki's favour, but you have not won yet. Keep yourself grounded or you could make a mistake than proves fatal to your cause."

Thor shrugged, still self-assured and Fandral had to worry.

He also knew that the stronger Thor felt for Loki, the harder the blow would come were he to be knocked out of the tournament. Fandral hoped with everything he had that he would not have to compete against Thor this round. He glanced to Magni, whose scowl had been present ever since he had entered the room. His fair face was twisted into something positively hideous, and it saddened Fandral to see it. He may have had desires on Loki, but he appreciated beauty wherever it could be found. Magni's was going to such waste, but he guessed an ugly soul will eventually consume the body.

He was brought from his musings by the entrance of the invigilator, who stepped up to them.

"May the best man win." Fandral said to his fellow competitors, determined to retain his dignity and his honour no matter what the outcome of the tournament.

His fellows were not so honourable. The Jotun merely scoffed, whilst Magni let out a cruel bark.

"Oh Sir Fandral, I intend to."

Thor looked like he desperately wanted to say something, but the invigilator made to speak.

"The lots have been drawn entirely at random, so please gentlemen, do not contest the decisions." He took a deep breath, purposely drawing out the announcement. Magni tapped a foot impatiently, whilst Thor rolled his eyes.

"The first fight shall be Thor versus Helbindi. The second fight shall be Fandral versus Magni. Good luck to you all gentlemen. Thor and Helbindi, if you could follow me." He turned to Fandral and Magni. "Gentlemen , if you step just through that door there, you will be able to observe this fight."

Thor and Helbindi followed the invigilator from the room whilst Magni and Fandral made their way to the viewing platform, keeping as much of a distance from each other as possible.

Fandral was in shock. He'd known it was entirely possible that he would face the elf, but had been certain the competition would be between Magni and Thor this round. He wasn't quite sure what to expect. He had fought Jotun before. A Ljósálfar was something new entirely, and judging by the vindictive glares the elf was giving him, Magni would be giving it everything he had.

Despite it all, Fandral was still immensely relieved he wasn't going to have to fight his friend this day. He could deal with that if it came to it. Thor and Helbindi had just stepped out onto the arena floor and Fandral turned all his attention to them, thankful to have a reason to avoid looking at Magni.

Thor was disappointed that he would not get to fight Magni, but Helbindi was just as high on his 'hated foes' list at the moment. They stood opposite each other in the arena and Thor bowed low to his opponent, ever the honourable warrior. Helbindi did not return the gesture. Thor did not really care, it just gave him another reason to hate the Jotun. He glanced to the royal box, smiling widely at Loki. Loki simply returned the smile whilst Odin rolled his eyes behind him. Thor was slightly disappointed, but he knew that Loki was not one for grand public gestures over all.

The invigilator announced the start of the fight, and Thor turned all his concentration to taking down the damned Jotun that wanted to steal his intended. Helbindi ran at him straight away, ice blades forming swiftly. Mjolnir broke them with ease but they were quickly replaced and Thor had to duck as the giant swung at him with the flat of his icy weapon. Helbindi was not that large for a giant (cruelly, Thor assumed it must be a family thing) but what he lacked in size he made up in speed and the God of Thunder found himself having to dodge the others attacks often, too busy with defence to get any decent hits onto the giant himself.

This carried on for some time before Thor realised he was going to have to do something to get away from Helbindi into order to take him down. A blow to the head would do, taking out his cognitive functions without injuring him too badly. In a way, a tournament was far more difficult than an actual battle since you had to restrain yourself from actually killing your opponent and Thor had found himself thinking far more about his strategies during the course of the tournament.

After a few more minutes of dancing around the icy knives, Thor saw his opening and dashed between Helbindi's legs as the giant steadied himself after another assault. Quickly Thor spun around and leapt as high as he could. Hitting the Jotun on the head with Mjolnir took more effort since he was trying to restrain himself, and it almost gave Helbindi the chance to get out of the way. Almost.

Mjolnir connected with the side of the giant's head with a thud and he fell to his knees, clutching where Thor had struck him. The invigilator waited as Helbindi tried to stand, and failed. He then stepped out and announced Thor as the winner of the round.

The crowd cheered wildly for Thor, and Thor played up to it as he was apt to, throwing Mjolnir into the air and generally preening for his fans. The noise seemed to knock Helbindi from his concussed state and he ran at Thor with a roar, his disappointment and anger too much to bare. Thor noticed and readied to defend himself, but he did not have to as Helbindi stopped his rampage before he had even made it halfway to the Asgardian. Thor turned around and his eyes widened.

Laufey had stepped out onto the arena, seemingly from nowhere. The Jotun king looked to Odin, giving a small nod that the All-father returned. Thor realised his father must have sent an emissary to Jotunheim following Helbindi's succession to the semi-final.

Helbindi dropped to his knees.

"Father. I am sorry, I have brought you shame by losing my battle." He said, his anguish clear from his tone and even Thor had to feel sorry for this son who was just desperately trying to please his father. The look nf Laufey's face said clearly that Helbindi was going to suffer for this.

"Stand." The elder Jotun demanded, and Helbindi did so without hesitation. "You have shamed me by even entering this mockery of a tournament. You will leave with me now, and never set foot in Asgard again."

"but father, I only wanted to take from Odin, as he took from us, to bring you honour..." Helbindi protested, but Laufey would not hear it.

"You bring no-one honour in this debacle, not me, not Jotunheim and certainly not yourself." Laufey suddenly turned to look at the royal box, directly at Loki, his expression cruel. "What was left in the temple was left there for a reason. Why in the name of Hel would you think it would please me to bring the runt back?" He took hold of his son's arm and began to forcefully drag him from the arena.

"Goodbye All-father." He addressed to Odin as he left, not stopping in his tracks. "Have fun with your little 'tournament'" His disdain was evident. Odin did not reply and soon the Jotun king and prince were gone. Thor left the arena to join his family in the royal box and whispers erupted around him as he did so.

He went straight to Loki's side and took the seat that would have been his had he not entered the tournament, casting a look to their father. He was looking very tired and Thor was concerned for him. He went to say something of the sort, but Frigga just shook her head at him and he wisely stayed quiet.

"Are you alright Loki?" he asked under his breath, taking his hand discretely. Loki ran his thumb idly over the other man's hand.

"Yes I am fine. I wasn't expecting such vindictiveness were I ever to actually meet Laufey, but he did abandon me to die in a temple."

He would not say so to Thor, but there had been something unreadable in the Jotun Kings eyes. It confused Loki and prevented him from holding too much malice for the giant.

(He would learn many, many years later, out on an adventure of his own told by aged and dying Býleistr, that Laufey had locked himself in his chambers that night and wept for the first time in years. Tears of sadness for the son he had lost, to his mortal enemy no less, and tears of joy that the plan to have him found in the temple had succeeded. He had known a runt of the Jotun would never be accepted in their cruel survival-of-the-fittest lifestyle and only sought to give him a better life. A plan that had most certainly succeeded and with his final breath Býleistr would tell him that Laufey had always loved him. Loki would finally shed his own tears that day for the father he never knew)

Thor, not as adept at reading people as Loki, simply squeezed his brothers' hand. A trumpet announced the arrival of Fandral and Magni stepped out to the arena. He was practically buzzing with anticipation, his desires for a confrontation with Magni battling with his want for Fandral's victory as his friend.

The invigilators hand dropped and the fight began.


	23. Chapter 23

Part 23

The fight between Fandral and Magni was going quite similarly to that of Thor and Helbindi previously. Magni was not physically strong, but he was fast and his mastery of magic was undeniably good. Fandral could dodge his attacks, but was unable to get close enough to put enough of a hit on the elf to take him down. Unfortunately for Fandral, he wasn't going to be able to get behind Magni by running under his legs. He stopped, panting for just an instant to think and Magni flashed into existence behind him. He had to duck and roll to avoid the sphere of magic, not unlike the ones that Loki used in battle, that he was certain Magni was aiming for his head.

Magni would win as long as he made sure Fandral was unable to fight, but remained alive. Fandral enough of Loki's enemies fall and remain alive to know the absolute agony magic could put him in were Magni to get a hit in and he was determined to win for his own sake now as much as the much coveted prize.

He tried to swing at Magni's legs with his sword as he fell, not expecting much success, but willing to try anything. Magni dodged his attack with minimal effort and blasted at him with some kind of spell again. Realising he needed time to plan his attack, he ran as fast as he could to one of the large boulders that were dotted around the arena, trying to think of a way to get the upper hand. He peeked around from his hiding spot and very nearly lost his eyebrows. Magni was heading his way so he moved the other end of the boulder, hoping to get the jump on the elf.

He waited until Magni was about to turn the corner, then leapt at him, the butt of his sword ready to knock out his opponent, but he was shocked when the sword went right through the elf like a ghost. Magni turned round, smiled and vanished. Fandral quickly realised his error, but it was too late. A spell hit the back of his head and his vision dimmed. It was the small knife that the elf ran just along the back of his hand that concerned him, it was a tiny nick, a pointless wound but Magni had gone out of his way to do it and without anyone seeing.

"Sorry 'friend', but I have far too much at risk to lose now." Magni hissed in his ear, and he felt the elf's arms work round him as he passed out completely.

Thor was furious. Fandral had been in the infirmary for hours and still had not awoken. He had ran down to the arena as soon as he had seen that Fandral had been defeated, eager to get his friend from Magni's arms, who had caught him as a 'noble gesture' to his fallen comrade. Thor had simple snarled at the elf and snatched Fandral from his arms. Magni had returned the aggressive gesture with a smirk.

"I am looking forward to facing you tomorrow, Prince Thor."

The sky was dark and still Fandral did not move. Magni had been questioned, but he claimed the spell he used should only knock out the man for an hour at most. He had seemed most concerned at Fandral's condition and said if there was anything they think he could do to help, to call him immediately. The healers thanked him and seemed most grateful, and Thor wondered how anyone could see the elf as anything but fake. The almost constant sneer he had developed as the tournament wore on was a clear indicator of Magni's true nature. He wasn't even trying to hide it anymore, taking jabs at Thor, Loki and their friends at any opportunity he got. Thor assumed it was because of his nerves over the competition.

Loki was not so sure. They were sat by Fandral's sick bed, hoping he would wake soon. They had taken over after Sif and Hogun had begun to tire. Volstagg had vanished to procure some kind of comfort food and so Loki and Thor had been left alone with their prone friend.

Loki squeezed Thor's knee gently.

"He will be alright Thor. Fandral is a determined man. He won't let something this simple take him down." Loki attempted to comfort the other man, but the words felt wrong coming from him and they both knew it. He wasn't made to comfort people, but Thor covered his hand and squeezed lightly, appreciating the effort.

"I am worried about the final tomorrow." Loki confessed, keeping his voice low. He glanced to the lone healer who was bustling amongst the beds.

"Magni will barely remember his own name when I am done with him." Thor scoffed. "He will pay for this."

"There is something wrong with him Thor. His magic isn't right. It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't have the ability, but magic is something that comes from inside of you, it is a part of you and you part of it. It makes you who you are."

"Is this going somewhere Loki? I am not in the mood for your riddles tonight."

"I tell no riddles Thor, I am just trying to explain my fears to you. We saw today that Magni's magic is powerful, but it doesn't emanate from him. It seems to come from somewhere else, but I cannot pinpoint exactly where. It makes him feel incredibly wrong, incomplete. It is like he has no soul."

Thor didn't seem to understand.

"Do not worry Loki, soul or no soul, I will defeat him and you will be mine." He kissed the back of Loki's hand and returned his attention back to Fandral, making it clear he did not want to speak of the tournament anymore. They remained there all night, and Loki fell asleep against Thors shoulder around midnight. Lady Sif appeared around three in the morning, trying to persuade Thor to get some sleep before the final, but he refused, keeping a vigil by his fallen friend right up until he had to enter the arena.


	24. Chapter 24

Part 24

The arena was buzzing with anticipation the next day, but all Loki felt was anxiety. If Thor lost, he would have to marry Magni and the elf did not look like he would be offering any mercy this day. He had walked out looking positively ill, his normally fair skin pasty, his golden hair hung limp and greasy and his shoulders and there were dark circles under his eyes.

Thor was not looking so good either. His stubborn refusal to sleep had left him weary and he was swaying ever so slightly on his feet. Loki could see his hair was wet where he had splashed water on himself in an effort to try and wake up. He had to wonder if there would be much of a fight at all, or if both Thor and Magni would drop and sleep in the arena.

He looked around him and the view was not much better. Down in the viewing area for previous contestants, Sif, Hogun and Volstagg were looking grim, Sif especially, as if she'd anticipated this outcome from the very beginning. Frigga was obviously worried for her sons and her husband, it was obvious from her pale face and watery eyes. Loki swore she had the lines of age on her face had deepened since the tournament had began.

Odin was by far the worst. He was desperately trying to fight the urge to go into the Odinsleep and appear strong, and he looked all the worse for it. That was combined with a lack of sleep the night before. Following Laufey's thinly veiled implication that Loki was his son the previous day, the dwarves had tried to file an official complaint against Odin, claiming the competition wasn't legitimate if Loki was not his son. It had luckily been sorted within the night, but it was taxing on Odin and Frigga, and exactly what they did not need at that point.

Loki couldn't understand it anyway. All of the dwarven entrants had been knocked out by now, so it made no difference to them either way. He assumed they were still angry at him for cheating them out of Mjolnir and just wanted to cause a fuss. He pressed a hand to his lips as he recalled that occasion, wincing. Either way, it had been sorted. They did not have much of an argument. Asgard weren't particularly surprised by the revelation, given Loki's contrasting appearance to the rest of the family, and he had been legitimately adopted into the family with paperwork as soon as Odin had brought him back as a child, so he had all the rights that applied to royal family member. The dwarves had been annoyed, but unable to argue further. Odin had not needed the unnecessary stress it had brought however.

The fight began, and Loki prayed to anyone who might be willing to listen that Thor would triumph.

Both competitors threw everything they had into the fight, dodging and throwing and trying to get in blows wherever they could, their desperation evident. Thor wondered what it was that was driving Magni to fight so fervidly. He knew the elf had desired Loki in their youth, but that had been many years ago. To fight as he was purely for Loki was bordering on obsessive. He retrieved Mjolnir, which Magni had dodge easily, and leapt to avoid Magni's own attack, a large ball of fire that caught the end of his red cape. He tore it from his shoulders and ran to the side, trying to flank the elf. Magni was far too nimble though and he found himself jumping again to avoid the ball of flame that Magni seemed to be favouring at the moment. He was already building another one between his hands, the flames licking his fingers, and his face was feral as a hungry wolfs.

"Is that all you have Thor?" he sneered, attacking once more. "You cannot dodge me forever!"

Thor ignored him, diving behind one of the large boulders, noting it was the same one that had led to Fandral's defeat. He quickly moved from rock to rock, determined not to make the same mistake. Magni was right though, and he could not run forever. He was flushed out from behind the rock by a number of clones Magni had summoned up. It really was peculiar how similar his magicks were to that of Loki.

Out in the open once more, Thor suddenly found himself surrounded by hundreds of Magni's, all looking in at him and laughing manically. Thor realised what was going to happen an instant before it did, and flung his arms up to protect his face as Magni unleashed a barrage of attacks from every angle. Later he would not be able to pinpoint which attack it was that knocked him out, so numerous were the attacks.

Loki could have sworn that his heart stopped when he saw Thor fall, and promptly fell to the bottom of his stomach. It was the only thing that could explain the awful feeling that took him over as Magni smiled in victory. Odin and Frigga gasped behind him and looking to the warriors and Sif their dismay was evident. Even the stoic Hogun looked shocked.

The Loki realised that the guards were not rushing out to the arena to aid the fallen Thor. Looking down, he saw they were all unable to pass a certain point, a circle forming around both Magni and Thor's unconscious form. He recognised it instantly as a magical shield, being able to conjure such a thing himself for short periods of time. The sun glinted off of the blade in Magni's hand and Loki realised a short period of time was all that was needed.

"He's going to kill Thor!" he told his parents, before using his own magic to vanish from the royal box, knowing his power was the only in the kingdom that could allow him to enter the magical circle.


	25. Chapter 25

Part 25

Loki appeared between the elf and his brother, magic at the ready to defend his fallen lover.

Magni laughed scornfully at the sudden appearance of the younger prince.

"Stand aside Loki. I am the victor here."

Loki held his ground.

"This is madness Magni. If you murder Thor you will forfeit the tournament and you will have lost me. Do not make me hurt you." He forced out between clenched teeth.

Magni just continued to laugh, and the constant mirth was starting to unnerve Loki. Magni appeared to have truly lost his mind.

"I have defeated all my opponents in this competition, I have won in their eyes and this is purely for my enjoyment. Your 'brother' has been a thorn in my side ever since I stepped foot in Asgard."

Loki frowned. "Their eyes? What in the name of Hel are you talking about Magni?"

"You will see soon enough, my dear Loki. Now get out of my way."

Loki braced himself, subtly making the magical blades in his hands larger.

"No. I will not allow you to hurt Thor."

Magni sighed. "Then I guess I will have to take care of you first. It will not be long now anyway, and you shall be out of the way for good."

Magni's cryptic words were starting to get on Loki's nerves and he rolled his eyes and threw his attack the elf. Apparently Magni had expected Loki to be more honourable and he barely got out of the way in time.

"That wasn't very nice Prince Loki!" He said sarcastically. "I thought a prince of Asgard would be a gentleman in everything he does."

Loki attacked once more, and his spell stopped Magni from moving. The elf looked astonished, and started to fling spells of fire and ice at Loki in desperation. Loki was greatly disappointed. He had seemed so much more powerful than this. He attacked once more, and Magni fell to the ground, mud and grime adding to his already rather unappealing appearance.

Magni lost all dignity as he realised his power was simply no match for Loki's. It also seemed to heighten his insanity, and as Loki idly picked up the knife that the Light elf had discarded, he could hear him muttering to himself, scrabbling at his unmovable feet in such a flurry that his nails left white streaks in the leather of his boots.

"No! No! I am just as powerful, they told me! That was the deal, I could win, I could defeat. They lied to me, I'll kill them all! They lied!"

Loki ignored him, assuming they were the ramblings of a mad man or the desperate tricks of the con-artist. The magical shield was starting to wane, and soon his father's men would be able to reach them. He planned to end this before they could do so, having no sympathy for Thor's would-be murderer.

"Please Loki! Do not kill me! I am sorry, I should not have been so foolish!" Magni grasped at Loki's feet as he approached the elf, fully intent on slitting his throat. He kicked the hands from him, disgusted at the pathetic display. He couldn't believe that this wretched creature had made it to the finals, taken down Thor and Fandral. Concentrating further, he realised that it wasn't just the shield that was waning, but the power that Magni wielding entirely.

Magni must have fallen out of favour with his benefactor.

Loki pulled a fistful of the blonde hair back so he had full access to the others neck. He could hear his father protesting, but his words were dimmed by the shield and Loki's rage. Magni closed his eyes, tears pouring down his face.

He opened them again when he felt Loki's hand leave his hair. Loki stood in front of him, the knife at his side, not looking Magni, but over him. A strange silence had fallen over the arena and Odin's guards had stopped trying to enter the shield.

"Thank you prince Loki." Magni grovelled "You are a generous, kind soul to spare my life, I will never forget this, ever."

Loki looked down in disgust, and with a look into the green eyes, Magni realised there was a cruel potential in Loki far beyond anything he could ever imagine.

"Do not forgive me so easily Sir Magni." He said coldly. "Your life is simply not mine to take." With that Loki stepped back to tend to the out-cold Thor and the bindings on Magni's legs were released.

He turned to the location that all the eyes of the arena looked too, and his heart was filled with dread.

A few mere feet from him stood a demon of Muspelheim, repulsive to look at and he had to fight the urge to vomit. The demon smiled, all his teeth sharpened to points that stabbed his gums every time he spoke.

"I'm afraid your time is up Magni."

Magni crawled backwards, trying to avoid his fate. He pointed accusingly at the demon.

"No! You lied! You said you would give me all the power of Loki the Sorcerer! He was far more powerful that I, YOU broke the deal! And I found the substitute! I won Loki! You can't have me, take him!" His pitch rose and rose until he was screaming at the demon.

Loki was shocked to hear of the deal, but could only listen. The demon was too terrible to gaze on for long, and looking around he realised that only Magni now had his eyes on the demon, no other strong enough so keep their gaze on the awful creature. He was thankful that Thor was unconscious still, and hoped his mother had left the arena.

The demon let Magni finish his desperate appeal.

"We did not lie. You came to use ten years ago and offered your soul for the power of Loki, which we gave you. It is not our fault that Prince Loki grew stronger whilst you stagnated, content with what you had. And I believe Loki just defeated you, oh great Magni. You won nothing. And now you belong to Surtur of Muspelheim."

Magni had turned a disturbing shade of green. Instead of talking back he tried to run, but there was no escape from his punishment. The demon grabbed him and vanished in a blast of black fire. Magni had still been reaching out as he was taken, and his hand was left behind, falling to the ground and the only reminder he had ever existed.

As Magni vanished, so did his magical defences and the guards quickly composed themselves as the arena exploded to life once more. There was talking all around and Loki could feel a fair few eyes on himself. Sif, Volstagg and Hogun ran out to their friends and helped the healers removed Thor from the ground. Loki followed them from the arena, desperately fighting the urge to be sick. It would somewhat ruin his victorious moment somewhat.

Sif took his arm as they left, a comforting gesture to most eyes, but Loki knew she could see how much the encounter had shaken him and was there primarily for physical support. Once they were into the infirmary he collapsed into a seat and watched in silence as the healers tended to Thor, unable to process anything for the time being.


	26. Chapter 26

Part 26 - Epilogue

"Well that explains why his method of fighting was so similar to Loki's then, if he had all of Loki's powers." Fandral said from his infirmary bed "Even if they were from ten years ago, there are bound to still be similarities."

Sif nodded in agreement. "But why?" She asked "I know he desired Loki a long time ago, but was his need for revenge really that great that he felt he had to sell his soul to Surtur?" she shuddered at the thought.

"Revenge? Power? Madness? He was just really, really bored?" Volstagg replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't think we'll ever know unless we ask Magni himself and as much as I love and respect you all, I am not following you into Muspelheim."

Thor laughed from his own bed. "I have no desires to enter the realm of the demons either, my friend, so you have no fears of such a request from me."

To either side of them, Loki and Sif frowned. Hogun merely rolled his eyes.

"It is disconcerting that someone could gain such power from the demons though." Loki remarked. "We are just fortunate that Magni was not as clever as he thought, and ended up with less power than he needed."

"I think it is a good story for anyone who is thinking of entering into a deal with Surtur" Fandral replied. "Now, I do have to wonder what is happening in terms of your engagement, since Thor technically lost and you have more than proved you are actually capable of taking care of yourself. Does this mean that you will not be forced into marriage after all?"

Loki sighed. "Unfortunately not. Whilst father admitted I am a lot more powerful than he realised, my hand was still the prize for the winner of the tournament, and since Magni is now...indisposed, Thor wins by default." He acted like it was a great burden, but everyone in the room could tell he was more than happy with this outcome. Fandral smiled contently. He may not have won Loki's hand, but both he and Thor would be happy and so he was also happy.

Or at least he assumed so. Thor looked like he was on the verge of a tantrum.

"What in Asgard is your problem now?" Sif demanded "You should be ecstatic Thor, you have won the tournament and Loki."

"Yes, but it was only by default, wasn't it?" he pouted. "And Loki saved my life at the end of it all. It's hardly a strong kingly image for me now, is it?"

Sif snorted in laughter. "Oh get over it Thor, a victory is a victory. No one thinks any less of you, and you made it to the final, that is an achievement in itself, winner or not."

Loki smirked and took Thor's hand.

"I think Thor is just bitter than I saved his life, rather than the other way around."

The warriors and Sif all voiced their agreement, and Thor protested in a rather loud way that ended up with Loki, Sif, Hogun and Volstagg being asked to leave the infirmary for upsetting the patients. Thor was laughing as they left though, and Loki knew he held no true ill will for what had happened. For the most part they were all thankful that Thor and Fandral were alive and well.

The engagement party for Thor and Loki was held a week later, when both he and Fandral had fully recovered and Odin had woken from the Odinsleep, which he had been made to enter by Frigga once they knew Thor was going to be alright under pain of death. The night had gone well, and everyone had offered them their best wishes, even Odin, albeit begrudgingly. Frigga had hugged them both tightly, with tears in her eyes and told them in no uncertain terms how proud she was of them.

Finally the night came to a close, and Loki and Thor left the room hand in hand, heading towards the hall that housed both their chambers. As soon as they were outside Loki's room, Thor pushed the smaller man into the door, kissing him thoroughly. Loki wound his hands in Thor's golden locks and pushed their hips together teasingly.

"I couldn't even imagine this is how the tournament would end up when father first told me of it." He whispered against Thor's lips, kissing him in between breaths, kisses that Thor returned with abandon, running his hands up and down Loki's slim body.

"Nor I, but I will be eternally thankful that it did." He groaned as Loki slid his hands down Thor's toned stomach, before ever so lightly brushing his growing arousal.

"Yes well..." Loki gasped as Thor lightly sucked on his neck, then shocked him as he forcefully pushed the larger man away from him, ever so slightly using magic to aid him.

"Goodnight Thor." He smirked, opening his bedroom door. Thor's mouth was agape in shock. Loki laughed at his gormless face.

"Come now Thor. You didn't honestly think I would let you deflower me before our wedding night now did you? I will see you tomorrow, we are picking out colours so mother tells me."

He shut the heavy door in Thor's face and the large man could only stand there in a state of confused arousal for a good few minutes. Finally he shook his head and chuckled to himself before heading to his own room.

Internally, he promised himself that Loki wouldn't be able to walk for a week following their wedding night.


End file.
